Explore the power of machine learning and Apple Intelligence within apps. Discuss integrating features, share best practices, and explore the possibilities for your app here.

All subtopics
Posts under Machine Learning & AI topic

Post

Replies

Boosts

Views

Activity

A Summary of the WWDC25 Group Lab - Machine Learning and AI Frameworks
At WWDC25 we launched a new type of Lab event for the developer community - Group Labs. A Group Lab is a panel Q&A designed for a large audience of developers. Group Labs are a unique opportunity for the community to submit questions directly to a panel of Apple engineers and designers. Here are the highlights from the WWDC25 Group Lab for Machine Learning and AI Frameworks. What are you most excited about in the Foundation Models framework? The Foundation Models framework provides access to an on-device Large Language Model (LLM), enabling entirely on-device processing for intelligent features. This allows you to build features such as personalized search suggestions and dynamic NPC generation in games. The combination of guided generation and streaming capabilities is particularly exciting for creating delightful animations and features with reliable output. The seamless integration with SwiftUI and the new design material Liquid Glass is also a major advantage. When should I still bring my own LLM via CoreML? It's generally recommended to first explore Apple's built-in system models and APIs, including the Foundation Models framework, as they are highly optimized for Apple devices and cover a wide range of use cases. However, Core ML is still valuable if you need more control or choice over the specific model being deployed, such as customizing existing system models or augmenting prompts. Core ML provides the tools to get these models on-device, but you are responsible for model distribution and updates. Should I migrate PyTorch code to MLX? MLX is an open-source, general-purpose machine learning framework designed for Apple Silicon from the ground up. It offers a familiar API, similar to PyTorch, and supports C, C++, Python, and Swift. MLX emphasizes unified memory, a key feature of Apple Silicon hardware, which can improve performance. It's recommended to try MLX and see if its programming model and features better suit your application's needs. MLX shines when working with state-of-the-art, larger models. Can I test Foundation Models in Xcode simulator or device? Yes, you can use the Xcode simulator to test Foundation Models use cases. However, your Mac must be running macOS Tahoe. You can test on a physical iPhone running iOS 18 by connecting it to your Mac and running Playgrounds or live previews directly on the device. Which on-device models will be supported? any open source models? The Foundation Models framework currently supports Apple's first-party models only. This allows for platform-wide optimizations, improving battery life and reducing latency. While Core ML can be used to integrate open-source models, it's generally recommended to first explore the built-in system models and APIs provided by Apple, including those in the Vision, Natural Language, and Speech frameworks, as they are highly optimized for Apple devices. For frontier models, MLX can run very large models. How often will the Foundational Model be updated? How do we test for stability when the model is updated? The Foundation Model will be updated in sync with operating system updates. You can test your app against new model versions during the beta period by downloading the beta OS and running your app. It is highly recommended to create an "eval set" of golden prompts and responses to evaluate the performance of your features as the model changes or as you tweak your prompts. Report any unsatisfactory or satisfactory cases using Feedback Assistant. Which on-device model/API can I use to extract text data from images such as: nutrition labels, ingredient lists, cashier receipts, etc? Thank you. The Vision framework offers the RecognizeDocumentRequest which is specifically designed for these use cases. It not only recognizes text in images but also provides the structure of the document, such as rows in a receipt or the layout of a nutrition label. It can also identify data like phone numbers, addresses, and prices. What is the context window for the model? What are max tokens in and max tokens out? The context window for the Foundation Model is 4,096 tokens. The split between input and output tokens is flexible. For example, if you input 4,000 tokens, you'll have 96 tokens remaining for the output. The API takes in text, converting it to tokens under the hood. When estimating token count, a good rule of thumb is 3-4 characters per token for languages like English, and 1 character per token for languages like Japanese or Chinese. Handle potential errors gracefully by asking for shorter prompts or starting a new session if the token limit is exceeded. Is there a rate limit for Foundation Models API that is limited by power or temperature condition on the iPhone? Yes, there are rate limits, particularly when your app is in the background. A budget is allocated for background app usage, but exceeding it will result in rate-limiting errors. In the foreground, there is no rate limit unless the device is under heavy load (e.g., camera open, game mode). The system dynamically balances performance, battery life, and thermal conditions, which can affect the token throughput. Use appropriate quality of service settings for your tasks (e.g., background priority for background work) to help the system manage resources effectively. Do the foundation models support languages other than English? Yes, the on-device Foundation Model is multilingual and supports all languages supported by Apple Intelligence. To get the model to output in a specific language, prompt it with instructions indicating the user's preferred language using the locale API (e.g., "The user's preferred language is en-US"). Putting the instructions in English, but then putting the user prompt in the desired output language is a recommended practice. Are larger server-based models available through Foundation Models? No, the Foundation Models API currently only provides access to the on-device Large Language Model at the core of Apple Intelligence. It does not support server-side models. On-device models are preferred for privacy and for performance reasons. Is it possible to run Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) using the Foundation Models framework? Yes, it is possible to run RAG on-device, but the Foundation Models framework does not include a built-in embedding model. You'll need to use a separate database to store vectors and implement nearest neighbor or cosine distance searches. The Natural Language framework offers simple word and sentence embeddings that can be used. Consider using a combination of Foundation Models and Core ML, using Core ML for your embedding model.
1
0
1.4k
Jun ’25
Various On-Device Frameworks API & ChatGPT
Posting a follow up question after the WWDC 2025 Machine Learning AI & Frameworks Group Lab on June 12. In regards to the on-device API of any of the AI frameworks (foundation model, vision framework, ect.), is there a response condition or path where the API outsources it's input to ChatGPT if the user has allowed this like Siri does? Ignore this if it's a no: is this handled behind the scenes or by the developer?
0
0
305
Jun ’25
ML contraints & Timeout clarificaitions for Message Filtering Extension
Hello everyone, I’m currently working with the Message Filtering Extension and would really appreciate some clarification around its performance and operational constraints. While the extension is extremely powerful and useful, I’ve found that some important details are either unclear or not well covered in the available documentation. There are two main areas I’m trying to understand better: Machine learning model constraints within the extension In our case, we already have an existing ML model that classifies messages (and are not dependant on Apple's built-in models). We’re evaluating whether and how it can be used inside the extension. Specifically, I’m trying to understand: Are there documented limits on the size of an ML model (e.g., maximum bundle size or model file size in MB)? What are the memory constraints for a model once loaded into memory by the extension? Under what conditions would the system terminate or “kick out” the extension due to memory or performance pressure? Message processing timeouts and execution constraints What is the timeout for processing a single received message? At what point will the OS stop waiting for the extension’s response and allow the message by default (for example, if the extension does not respond in time)? Any guidance, official references, or practical experience from Apple engineers or other developers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help,
0
0
223
Jan ’26
SoundAnalysis built-in classifier fails in background (SNErrorCode.operationFailed)
I’m seeing consistent failures using SoundAnalysis live classification when my app moves to the background. Setup iOS 17.x AVAudioEngine mic capture SNAudioStreamAnalyzer SNClassifySoundRequest(classifierIdentifier: .version1) UIBackgroundModes = audio AVAudioSession .record / .playAndRecord, active Audio capture + level metering continue working in background (mic indicator stays on) Issue As soon as the app enters background / screen locks: SoundAnalysis starts failing every second with domain:com.apple.SoundAnalysis, code:2(SNErrorCode.operationFailed) Audio capture itself continues normally When the app returns to foreground, classification immediately resumes without restarting the engine/analyzer Question Is live background sound classification with the built-in SoundAnalysis classifier officially unsupported or known to fail in background? If so, is a custom Core ML model the only supported approach for background detection? Or is there a required configuration I’m missing to keep SNClassifySoundRequest(.version1) running in background? Thanks for any clarification.
0
1
176
Dec ’25
[MPSGraph runWithFeeds:targetTensors:targetOperations:] randomly crash
I'm implementing an LLM with Metal Performance Shader Graph, but encountered a very strange behavior, occasionally, the model will report an error message as this: LLVM ERROR: SmallVector unable to grow. Requested capacity (9223372036854775808) is larger than maximum value for size type (4294967295) and crash, the stack backtrace screenshot is attached. Note that 5th frame is mlir::getIntValues<long long> and 6th frame is llvm::SmallVectorBase<unsigned int>::grow_pod It looks like mlir mistakenly took a 64 bit value for a 32 bit type. Unfortunately, I could not found the source code of mlir::getIntValues, maybe it's Apple's closed source fork of llvm for MPS implementation? Anyway, any opinion or suggestion on that?
0
0
227
Mar ’25
AI and ML
Hello. I am willing to hire game developer for cards game called baloot. My question is Can the developer implement an AI when the computer is playing and the computer on the same time the conputer improves his rises level without any interaction? 🌹
0
0
103
Jun ’25
AttributedString in App Intents
In this WWDC25 session, it is explictely mentioned that apps should support AttributedString for text parameters to their App Intents. However, I have not gotten this to work. Whenever I pass rich text (either generated by the new "Use Model" intent or generated manually for example using "Make Rich Text from Markdown"), my Intent gets an AttributedString with the correct characters, but with all attributes stripped (so in effect just plain text). struct TestIntent: AppIntent { static var title = LocalizedStringResource(stringLiteral: "Test Intent") static var description = IntentDescription("Tests Attributed Strings in Intent Parameters.") @Parameter var text: AttributedString func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult & ReturnsValue<AttributedString> { return .result(value: text) } } Is there anything else I am missing?
0
0
224
Jul ’25
Inquiry About Building an App for Object Detection, Background Removal, and Animation
Hi all! Nice to meet you., I am planning to build an iOS application that can: Capture an image using the camera or select one from the gallery. Remove the background and keep only the detected main object. Add a border (outline) around the detected object’s shape. Apply an animation along that border (e.g., moving light or glowing effect). Include a transition animation when removing the background — for example, breaking the background into pieces as it disappears. The app Capword has a similar feature for object isolation, and I’d like to build something like that. Could you please provide any guidance, frameworks, or sample code related to: Object segmentation and background removal in Swift (Vision or Core ML). Applying custom borders and shape animations around detected objects. Recognizing the object name (e.g., “person”, “cat”, “car”) after segmentation. Thank you very much for your support. Best regards, SINN SOKLYHOR
0
0
192
Nov ’25
Mistral/LLaMa Core ML Conversion
Hi, I am new to developing on Apple’s platform yet I want to familiarize myself with Core ML and Core ML Tools. I was watching the WWDC24: Bring your machine learning and AI models to Apple Silicon video and was trying to follow along. After multiple attempts and much reading up on documentation, I am still unable to get a coherent script running that will convert the Mistral model that the host used and convert it to a valid Core ML model. here is a pastebin to what i have currently: https://pastebin.com/04cVjF1v if you require the output as well please let me know
0
0
141
Apr ’25
Core-ml-on-device-llama Converting fails
I followed below url for converting Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct model but always fails even i have 64GB of free space after downloading model from huggingface. https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/core-ml-on-device-llama Also tried with other models Llama-3.1-1B-Instruct & Llama-3.1-3B-Instruct models those are converted but while doing performance test in xcode fails for all compunits. Is there any source code to run llama models in ios app.
0
0
198
Apr ’25
Does ExecuTorch support VisionOS?
Does anyone know if ExecuTorch is officially supported or has been successfully used on visionOS? If so, are there any specific build instructions, example projects, or potential issues (like sandboxing or memory limitations) to be aware of when integrating it into an Xcode project for the Vision Pro? While ExecuTorch has support for iOS, I can't find any official documentation or community examples specifically mentioning visionOS. Thanks.
0
0
280
Jul ’25
JAX Metal: Random Number Generation Performance Issue on M1 Max
JAX Metal shows 55x slower random number generation compared to NVIDIA CUDA on equivalent workloads. This makes Monte Carlo simulations and scientific computing impractical on Apple Silicon. Performance Comparison NVIDIA GPU: 0.475s for 12.6M random elements M1 Max Metal: 26.3s for same workload Performance gap: 55x slower Environment Apple M1 Max, 64GB RAM, macOS Sequoia Version 15.6.1 JAX 0.4.34, jax-metal latest Backend: Metal Reproduction Code import time import jax import jax.numpy as jnp from jax import random key = random.PRNGKey(42) start_time = time.time() random_array = random.normal(key, (50000, 252)) duration = time.time() - start_time print(f"Duration: {duration:.3f}s")
0
0
449
Aug ’25
SpeechTranscriber time indexes - detect pauses?
I'm experimenting with the new SpeechTranscriber in macOS/iOS 26, transcribing speech from a prerecorded mp4 file. Speed and quality are amazing! I've told the transcriber to include time indexes. Each run is always exactly one word, which can be very useful. When I look at the indexes the end of one run is always identical to the start of the next run, even if there's a pause. I'd like to identify pauses, perhaps to generate something like phrases for subtitling. With each run of text going into the next I can't do this, other than using punctuation - which might be rather rough. Any suggestions on detecting pauses, or getting that kind of metadata from the transcriber? Here's a short sample, showing each run with the start, end, and characters in the run: 105.9 --> 107.04 I 107.04 --> 107.16 think 107.16 --> 108.0 more 108.0 --> 108.42 lighting 108.42 --> 108.6 is 108.6 --> 108.72 definitely 108.72 --> 109.2 needed, 109.2 --> 109.92 downtown. 109.98 --> 110.4 My 110.4 --> 110.52 only 110.52 --> 110.7 question 110.7 --> 111.06 is, 111.06 --> 111.48 poll 111.48 --> 111.78 five, 111.78 --> 111.84 that 111.84 --> 112.08 you're 112.08 --> 112.38 increasing 112.38 --> 112.5 the 112.5 --> 113.34 50,000? 113.4 --> 113.58 Where 113.58 --> 113.88 exactly
0
0
238
Jun ’25
Get NFC Data Identity card
Hello, I have to create an app in Swift that it scan NFC Identity card. It extract data and convert it to human readable data. I do it with below code import CoreNFC class NFCIdentityCardReader: NSObject , NFCTagReaderSessionDelegate { func tagReaderSessionDidBecomeActive(_ session: NFCTagReaderSession) { print("\(session.description)") } func tagReaderSession(_ session: NFCTagReaderSession, didInvalidateWithError error: any Error) { print("NFC Error: \(error.localizedDescription)") } var session: NFCTagReaderSession? func beginScanning() { guard NFCTagReaderSession.readingAvailable else { print("NFC is not supported on this device") return } session = NFCTagReaderSession(pollingOption: .iso14443, delegate: self, queue: nil) session?.alertMessage = "Hold your NFC identity card near the device." session?.begin() } func tagReaderSession(_ session: NFCTagReaderSession, didDetect tags: [NFCTag]) { guard let tag = tags.first else { session.invalidate(errorMessage: "No tag detected") return } session.connect(to: tag) { (error) in if let error = error { session.invalidate(errorMessage: "Connection error: \(error.localizedDescription)") return } switch tag { case .miFare(let miFareTag): self.readMiFareTag(miFareTag, session: session) case .iso7816(let iso7816Tag): self.readISO7816Tag(iso7816Tag, session: session) case .iso15693, .feliCa: session.invalidate(errorMessage: "Unsupported tag type") @unknown default: session.invalidate(errorMessage: "Unknown tag type") } } } private func readMiFareTag(_ tag: NFCMiFareTag, session: NFCTagReaderSession) { // Read from MiFare card, assuming it's formatted as an identity card let command: [UInt8] = [0x30, 0x04] // Example: Read command for block 4 let requestData = Data(command) tag.sendMiFareCommand(commandPacket: requestData) { (response, error) in if let error = error { session.invalidate(errorMessage: "Error reading MiFare: \(error.localizedDescription)") return } let readableData = String(data: response, encoding: .utf8) ?? response.map { String(format: "%02X", $0) }.joined() session.alertMessage = "ID Card Data: \(readableData)" session.invalidate() } } private func readISO7816Tag(_ tag: NFCISO7816Tag, session: NFCTagReaderSession) { let selectAppCommand = NFCISO7816APDU(instructionClass: 0x00, instructionCode: 0xA4, p1Parameter: 0x04, p2Parameter: 0x00, data: Data([0xA0, 0x00, 0x00, 0x02, 0x47, 0x10, 0x01]), expectedResponseLength: -1) tag.sendCommand(apdu: selectAppCommand) { (response, sw1, sw2, error) in if let error = error { session.invalidate(errorMessage: "Error reading ISO7816: \(error.localizedDescription)") return } let readableData = response.map { String(format: "%02X", $0) }.joined() session.alertMessage = "ID Card Data: \(readableData)" session.invalidate() } } } But I got null. I think that these data are encrypted. How can I convert them to readable data without MRZ, is it possible ? I need to get personal informations from Identity card via Core NFC. Thanks in advance. Best regards
0
0
273
Mar ’25
ILMessageFilterExtension memory limit
I’m considering creating an ILMessageFilterExtension using a mini LLM/SLM to detect fraud and I’ve read it has strict memory limits yet I can’t find it in the documentation. What’s the set limit or any other constraints impacting the feasibility of running 100-500mb model?
0
0
76
Apr ’25
Apple OCR framework seems to be holding on to allocations every time it is called.
Environment: macOS 26.2 (Tahoe) Xcode 16.3 Apple Silicon (M4) Sandboxed Mac App Store app Description: Repeated use of VNRecognizeTextRequest causes permanent memory growth in the host process. The physical footprint increases by approximately 3-15 MB per OCR call and never returns to baseline, even after all references to the request, handler, observations, and image are released. ` private func selectAndProcessImage() { let panel = NSOpenPanel() panel.allowedContentTypes = [.image] panel.allowsMultipleSelection = false panel.canChooseDirectories = false panel.message = "Select an image for OCR processing" guard panel.runModal() == .OK, let url = panel.url else { return } selectedImageURL = url isProcessing = true recognizedText = "Processing..." // Run OCR on a background thread to keep UI responsive let workItem = DispatchWorkItem { let result = performOCR(on: url) DispatchQueue.main.async { recognizedText = result isProcessing = false } } DispatchQueue.global(qos: .userInitiated).async(execute: workItem) } private func performOCR(on url: URL) -> String { // Wrap EVERYTHING in autoreleasepool so all ObjC objects are drained immediately let resultText: String = autoreleasepool { // Load image and convert to CVPixelBuffer for explicit memory control guard let imageData = try? Data(contentsOf: url) else { return "Error: Could not read image file." } guard let nsImage = NSImage(data: imageData) else { return "Error: Could not create image from file data." } guard let cgImage = nsImage.cgImage(forProposedRect: nil, context: nil, hints: nil) else { return "Error: Could not create CGImage." } let width = cgImage.width let height = cgImage.height // Create a CVPixelBuffer from the CGImage var pixelBuffer: CVPixelBuffer? let attrs: [String: Any] = [ kCVPixelBufferCGImageCompatibilityKey as String: true, kCVPixelBufferCGBitmapContextCompatibilityKey as String: true ] let status = CVPixelBufferCreate( kCFAllocatorDefault, width, height, kCVPixelFormatType_32ARGB, attrs as CFDictionary, &pixelBuffer ) guard status == kCVReturnSuccess, let buffer = pixelBuffer else { return "Error: Could not create CVPixelBuffer (status: \(status))." } // Draw the CGImage into the pixel buffer CVPixelBufferLockBaseAddress(buffer, []) guard let context = CGContext( data: CVPixelBufferGetBaseAddress(buffer), width: width, height: height, bitsPerComponent: 8, bytesPerRow: CVPixelBufferGetBytesPerRow(buffer), space: CGColorSpaceCreateDeviceRGB(), bitmapInfo: CGImageAlphaInfo.noneSkipFirst.rawValue ) else { CVPixelBufferUnlockBaseAddress(buffer, []) return "Error: Could not create CGContext for pixel buffer." } context.draw(cgImage, in: CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: width, height: height)) CVPixelBufferUnlockBaseAddress(buffer, []) // Run OCR let requestHandler = VNImageRequestHandler(cvPixelBuffer: buffer, options: [:]) let request = VNRecognizeTextRequest() request.recognitionLevel = .accurate request.usesLanguageCorrection = true do { try requestHandler.perform([request]) } catch { return "Error during OCR: \(error.localizedDescription)" } guard let observations = request.results, !observations.isEmpty else { return "No text found in image." } let lines = observations.compactMap { observation in observation.topCandidates(1).first?.string } // Explicitly nil out the pixel buffer before the pool drains pixelBuffer = nil return lines.joined(separator: "\n") } // Everything — Data, NSImage, CGImage, CVPixelBuffer, VN objects — released here return resultText } `
0
0
109
2w
Tensorflow metal: Issue using assign operation on MacBook M4
I get the following error when running this command in a Jupyter notebook: v = tf.Variable(initial_value=tf.random.normal(shape=(3, 1))) v[0, 0].assign(3.) Environment: python == 3.11.14 tensorflow==2.19.1 tensorflow-metal==1.2.0 { "name": "InvalidArgumentError", "message": "Cannot assign a device for operation ResourceStridedSliceAssign: Could not satisfy explicit device specification '/job:localhost/replica:0/task:0/device:GPU:0' because no supported kernel for GPU devices is available.\nColocation Debug Info:\nColocation group had the following types and supported devices: \nRoot Member(assigned_device_name_index_=1 requested_device_name_='/job:localhost/replica:0/task:0/device:GPU:0' assigned_device_name_='/job:localhost/replica:0/task:0/device:GPU:0' resource_device_name_='/job:localhost/replica:0/task:0/device:GPU:0' supported_device_types_=[CPU] possible_devices_=[]\nResourceStridedSliceAssign: CPU \n_Arg: GPU CPU \n\nColocation members, user-requested devices, and framework assigned devices, if any:\n ref (_Arg) framework assigned device=/job:localhost/replica:0/task:0/device:GPU:0\n ResourceStridedSliceAssign (ResourceStridedSliceAssign) /job:localhost/replica:0/task:0/device:GPU:0\n\nOp: ResourceStridedSliceAssign\n [...] [[{{node ResourceStridedSliceAssign}}]] [Op:ResourceStridedSliceAssign] name: strided_slice/_assign" } It seems like the ResourceStridedSliceAssign operation is not implemented for the GPU
0
0
137
3w
RDMA API Documentation
With the release of the newest version of tahoe and MLX supporting RDMA. Is there a documentation link to how to utilizes the libdrma dylib as well as what functions are available? I am currently assuming it mostly follows the standard linux infiniband library but I would like the apple specific details.
0
0
280
Dec ’25