iOS 18.4 Again Reactivates Apple Intelligence Automatically. Here’s How to Turn It Off

Apple actually needs you to make use of Apple Intelligence to an nearly annoying diploma. Positive, the brand new iOS 18.4 replace provides a welcome Prioritize Notifications characteristic that I’ve discovered useful, but it surely additionally contains non-AI options and the same old assortment of safety and bug fixes. The issue is that even if you happen to beforehand turned off Apple Intelligence, this replace turns it again on. The identical applies to iPad OS 18.4 and MacOS Sequoia 15.4.

I will not maintain it towards you if you wish to go on Apple’s AI tech for now. It’s, in spite of everything, nonetheless technically in beta — which is little question why it is annoying that Apple Intelligence is getting turned again on. Message summaries could be dodgy, generated photos are unpredictable and the promised leap in Siri’s capabilities has been formally pushed again.

Turning off Apple Intelligence is simple, although, whether or not you are turning it off utterly or selectively switching off particular person options.

See additionally: Did a well-meaning pal ship you a message about Apple Intelligence probably studying your personal info? I clarify what’s really occurring.

Why flip off Apple Intelligence within the first place?

For the reason that first Apple Intelligence options rolled out in iOS 18.1, some folks have chosen to decide out of the brand new expertise. Instruments akin to Picture Playground, Genmoji and message summaries can use as much as 7GB of your machine’s inside storage — a large chunk, particularly if you happen to are inclined to run towards the higher restrict of its free house.

Even when storage is just not a problem, you simply is probably not enthusiastic about Apple’s set of AI options. Based on a brand new survey by SellCell, 73% of Apple customers assume AI provides little to no worth to the expertise. In a separate survey, CNET discovered that 25% of smartphone homeowners aren’t in any respect.

Or, truthfully, it’s possible you’ll not wish to cope with options which are creating inaccurate summaries or that may be replicated with out Apple Intelligence.

The excellent news is that it is easy to show off Apple Intelligence completely. Or if you happen to’d choose to choose and select, you possibly can selectively disable among the options. Doing so additionally helps you to reclaim the storage it is utilizing.

Is Apple Intelligence actually able to be on by default?

I am not an AI crank — I recognize options akin to notification summaries and the Clear Up software within the Photographs app. And but, Apple Intelligence can also be a piece in progress, an evolving set of options that Apple is closely hyping whereas regularly growing. I would not maintain it towards you if you happen to wished to not be distracted or really feel such as you’re doing Apple’s testing for them (that is what the developer and public betas are for).

Keep in mind that Apple Intelligence works solely on the iPhone 15 Professional, iPhone 16, iPhone 16E, iPhone 16 Professional or M-series Macs and iPads (plus the latest iPad mini).

This is what that you must find out about disabling it.

Watch this: Does Apple Suppose We’re Silly? Apple Intelligence Adverts Say Sure

06:15

How you can see the quantity of storage Apple Intelligence is utilizing

If you happen to’re involved concerning the storage necessities of Apple Intelligence, yow will discover out how a lot the system is utilizing by going to Settings > Common > iPhone (or iPad) Storage > iOS (or iPadOS).

Observe that even after turning off Apple Intelligence, that storage nonetheless reveals up within the iOS Storage record. Nonetheless, I used to be in a position to verify that if the telephone’s storage fills up and the system wants that now-inactive house, iOS reclaims what it wants.

How you can flip off Apple Intelligence completely (iPhone, iPad and Mac)

Open Settings (iPhone or iPad) or System Settings (Mac) and select Apple Intelligence & Siri. Then flip off the Apple Intelligence choice. Verify your selection within the dialog that seems by tapping Flip Off Apple Intelligence.

This is what you lose:

(Curiously, the Clear Up software in Photographs sticks round even when Apple Intelligence is turned off, maybe as a result of the primary time you employ it the app downloads assets for it and holds onto them.)

How you can flip off particular person Apple Intelligence options

Possibly you are discovering some Apple Intelligence options useful whereas others are annoying (or simply extremely amusing). You possibly can flip off particular options within the settings for apps to which they apply.

For instance, to disable textual content summaries in Messages notifications, go to Settings > Apps > Messages and swap off the Summarize Messages choice.

Some options will not be as app-specific. Writing Instruments, which use Apple Intelligence to proof or rewrite textual content, seem as an choice when you choose textual content, whatever the app. To show that off, that you must disable Apple Intelligence system-wide.

Additionally word that just about each app contains an Apple Intelligence & Siri choice in Settings, with a Be taught from this App choice (turned on by default). That applies simply as to if Apple Intelligence and Siri can monitor how you employ it to make strategies; it does not have an effect on any specific Apple Intelligence options.

How you can flip off Apple Intelligence options in Display screen Time settings

An alternative choice for proscribing what Apple Intelligence can do is buried within the Display screen Time settings. Display screen Time is designed to regulate which apps and options can run on one other machine, such because the iPhone utilized by a baby in your family. But it surely’s additionally useful for monitoring how a lot time you are spending on the machine and, on this case, turning off some parts of Apple Intelligence.

1. Open the Settings app and go to Display screen Time > Content material & Privateness Restrictions.
2. Activate the Content material & Privateness Restrictions choice if it isn’t already enabled. If that is the primary time you are flipping this swap, don’t be concerned — all the pieces is allowed by default.
3. Faucet Intelligence & Siri.
4. Faucet on the next three options and determine whether or not to permit or do not enable their use: Picture Creation (akin to Picture Playground and Genmoji), Writing Instruments and the ChatGPT Extension (which makes use of ChatGPT to course of requests which are past the built-in Apple Intelligence capabilities).

For extra on iOS 18.3, see how the Mail app kinds messages into classes and if you have not upgraded already, make backup first.