Apple Intelligence stuck on "Preparing" status for more than 10 hours

On my M3 Macbook I have been waiting for it to fully download since day 1 of the availability. I have been on WiFi the whole time. I’ve switched from 5ghz network to 2.4ghz and back. I have switched languages, rebooted and switched back. I have switched with rebooting. Region is correct. Languages is correct. My internet connection is 300-400Mbps. I get at least 200Mbps on WiFi.

4.43GB and holding.

Maybe I should try ethernet.

After being stuck for nearly two weeks, I went ahead and did the following which worked:

1. Backed up to Time Machine

2. Used Disk Utility to erase the drive

3. Used Recover Utility to reinstall macOS (Sonoma)

4. Updated to the latest macOS Sequoia 15.1.

5. Verified Apple Intelligence was installed and working.

6. Used Migration Assistant to transfer my info from Time Machine.

This has worked for me on two different Macs. On the Apple Intelligence window in Settings change your language to something other than English( I used Cantonese), close, reopen and switch to English (US). It works almost immediately.

I had the same issue… What worked for me was changing my phone language to US English, and then changing Siri language to US English too. I then I restarted, and once that was done I was able to turn Apple Intelligence on.

My Apple Intelligence on two of my 'Mac's was stuck in the “preparing” phase for the last two weeks. Tried all the suggestions posted here, none of them worked for me. I contacted Apple Care, but they had no clue why this was happening.

I decided to take a full Time Machine backup, then factory reset my Mac, and restored it from the backup. And voila, within five minutes, I got a prompt to activate my Apple Intelligence—now it’s activated.

I repeated the same with my second device, and it worked this time too.

My M3 Max MacBook Pro has been stuck on Preparing... for weeks. Trying the solutions here hasn't worked for me yet, but I did notice that while choosing voices, some of them will download for me, like Premium Zoe, but none of the Siri voices will start downloading. They are all stuck at Zero KB, even though I am connected to a very fast WiFi network. I have a feeling that whatever is keeping the voices from downloading is holding up "Apple Intelligence."

I figured out that if you have your battery saver on, apple intelligence won’t download. Many people were mentioning having to reset their MB to factory settings and it got me thinking and so I turned off battery saver, connected to WiFi and boom. Downloaded.

Same thing here. We bought a new M3 MacBook Air expressly for the Apple Intelligence features, but the install is still stuck on "Preparing" over more than a week. I had hoped the Sequoia 15.1.1. update would address this, but it has not, and that is extremely annoying. None of the fixes mentioned in this thread have worked. Let's get this fixed, Apple, and soon!

By the way. it installed in a flash on my older M1 MacBook Pro. Go figure.

Mine has been stuck for weeks. Somebody commented in here about the size should be 4.94. Mine is 4.91. I am not sure if that means anything, but when I have time perhaps I will back up time machine wipe out and reinstall. i did do the upodate last night also

If your Apple Intelligence is stuck on the "Preparing" status for more than 10 hours, it may indicate an issue with the system's update or synchronization process. This can sometimes happen if there is a problem with your internet connection, a large data load, or a temporary glitch in Apple's servers. To resolve the issue, try restarting your device, ensuring a stable and fast internet connection, and checking for any software updates. If the problem persists, you may want to contact Apple Support or visit an Apple Store for further assistance.

I changed the Siri language to English(UK) and then changed back, and it works!!!

My iPhone 16 pro has been stuck at the preparing for more than 3 days and I even doubt that is because the Chinese network.

But, finally, it just stuck at somewhere.

I have had the same problem and I’ve tried the same solves to no avail. I am based in the UK, I have made sure I have changed everything on the iPad, In this instance, to the US - still no different Then I tried to change all my devices, phone and everything to US and the download commenced. Fingers crossed it will work. Hope this helps.

~ update finished download and works

I read all these comments because I too am experiencing this.

I didn’t realize I never hooked up my new phone to WiFi after reading comments to do so.

Watched it download in realtime. It tells you the percentage of completion until its done.

mahalos!

Both of my 15.1.1 systems show Apple Intelligence at 2.49GB. Both were working properly for several days but now one has returned to the Apple Intelligence is downloading dialogue. Have tried all recommended solutions except erasing and reinstalling with no luck.

AI still stuck on PREPARING for my new iMac after 4 weeks. Tried all the fixes mentioned here and everywhere. When trying to set the language to ENGLISH (United States) Receive an error message that says: Settings Error Extension process Siri (43502) exited. After spending an overpriced amount for theNEW iMac, I did not expect to have ANY issue. Suggestions???