Apple has fixed the issue that prevented a limited number of iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max users from downloading on-device Apple Intelligence models to their devices, reports MacRumors.
Apple made a server-side fix that applies to affected models automatically. Users simply need to confirm that if Apple Intelligence is enabled in the Settings app in the “Apple Intelligence & Siri” settings.
If this setting is already enabled and no error messages are displayed, it means the AI models were likely automatically downloaded after the fix was made, and all should be well. If you see an error message appear after toggling it on, toggle Apple Intelligence off, wait a few seconds, and then toggle it back on again.
You may also need to restart your iPhone before re-enabling Apple Intelligence. (Quickly press the up volume button, then the down volume button, then hold the power button until you see the Apple logo appear on your iPhone’s screen.)
Apple never publicly commented on the cause for the issue.
While the problem didn’t appear to affect all new iPhone models, the issue was quite frustrating for users who found themselves locked out of Apple Intelligence. Those users with affected devices have until now been unable to use Apple Intelligence, which is a bit frustrating, since the feature has been a major selling point for the iPhone.
When the iOS 26.0.1 update failed to resolve the issue, many users feared they’d have to wait until iOS 26.1 was released near the end of this month to gain access to the feature.
