When the tech giant first rolled out Image Playground last year, it promised a fun, fast, and personalized way to generate images using Apple Intelligence. But let’s be honest—the hype didn’t quite match the delivery.
What users got was… well, a mixed bag.
Six-fingered hands? Check.
Struggles with basic prompts like “old man” or “flower”? Also check.
The overall vibe? Somewhere between toddler-level Genmojis and a beta project that hadn’t figured out its identity.
The app quickly became a meme in some corners of Reddit and X. Many wondered: Was this Apple’s idea of next-gen image generation? Some users found it fun, yes—but not groundbreaking. And definitely not competitive with the heavyweights like Midjourney, DALL·E, or even Canva’s Magic Media.
Fast-forward to WWDC this year, and Apple just dropped a new update that might finally turn things around: a full ChatGPT integration.
With OpenAI’s tech now baked into Image Playground, Apple is giving users a lot more to work with. You’ll now be able to create images in richer styles—like Oil Painting, Watercolor, Vector, Anime, and Print. Plus, a new “Any Style” feature lets you describe exactly what you want. Goodbye emoji-style sketches, hello creative freedom (hopefully).
All of these upgrades come with a ChatGPT-powered banner, signaling that your prompts are being handed off to OpenAI’s model. But Apple’s being careful here—it says nothing gets shared with ChatGPT without your permission. Classic Apple: privacy-first, even in the age of AI.
The update is expected to roll out with iOS 26 this fall, and it’s part of a broader strategy. Apple’s been cozying up to OpenAI lately—bringing ChatGPT into Siri, first-party apps, and system-wide tools like Writing Tools. Image Playground is just another step in that integration dance.
So here’s the big question: Will this new and improved Image Playground finally give Apple a seat at the AI image table?
Time will tell. But one thing’s clear—Apple isn’t done playing.
