Does Apple Intelligence Work Offline (Airplane Mode)?
By Taha Baalla··5 min read
On-Device vs Server-Side Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 uses a hybrid model: simpler tasks (text rewrite, photo cleanup, Siri basic queries) run on-device using Apple Silicon. More complex requests (ChatGPT integration, complex reasoning, Private Cloud Compute tasks) require internet connectivity.
In airplane mode: Writing tools (proofread, rewrite, summarize), image cleanup, basic Siri commands, and notification summaries work offline. Anything routed to Private Cloud Compute or ChatGPT requires connectivity.
Nemos shares this architecture by design. Voice transcription, OCR on screenshots, semantic search — all fully functional in airplane mode, where transcription runs on the device. No internet required. This isn't a limitation of airplane mode; it's the default. On a 14-hour flight, your entire capture library remains fully functional with complete search.
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Where Nemos fits
Nemos is a private second brain for iPhone that solves the "I saved it somewhere" problem. Every screenshot, voice memo, PDF, and link you save gets OCR'd, transcribed, and indexed on-device using Apple Foundation Models. Find anything by typing one word. Free. Apple-only. Free on the App Store.