Stop the AI: Easy Steps to Turn Off Apple Intelligence

I won’t hold it against you if you’re sick of all things AI right now. Even Apple, which has fallen behind with Apple Intelligence, wants you to use its tools to summarize messagesrewriting the text and create wacky images on your iPhone Or Mac.

If all this bothers you, and especially if you have a new iPhone for vacationThe good news is that you can turn off some or all Apple Intelligence features. I’m here to show you exactly how to do it.

See also: Did a well-meaning friend send you a message saying Apple Intelligence might have read your private information? I explain what is really happening.

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Why turn off Apple Intelligence in the first place?

Since the first Apple Intelligence features rolled out in iOS 18.1, some people have chosen not to use the new technology. Tools like Image Playground, Genmoji, and Message Digests can use up to 7GB of your device’s internal storage – a significant chunk, especially if you tend to exceed the upper limit of its free space.

Even if storage isn’t an issue, you might just not be interested in Apple’s AI feature set. A new CNET investigation reveals that only 19% of smartphone owners in the United States choose to upgrade their devices to take advantage of new AI features. And a recent ZDNET/Aberdeen survey finds that the majority of U.S. adults say they won’t use most AI features, and only 8% would consider paying extra for them. Some AI features are more welcome than others, with 58% of respondents saying use AI for photo editing would be valuable.

Or, honestly, you might not want to bother with features that create inaccurate summaries or it can be replicated without Apple Intelligence.

(Previous iOS 18 updates automatically re-enabled Apple Intelligence even if you turned it off, but starting with iOS 18.4, the setting is honored.)

Is Apple Intelligence really ready to be enabled by default?

I am not one AI crank — I like features like notification summaries and the cleanup tool in the Photos app. And yet Apple Intelligence is also a work in progress, an evolving set of features that Apple is pushing forward while gradually building out. I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to be distracted or feel like you’re doing Apple’s tests for them (that’s what the developers and public betas are for).

Remember that Apple Intelligence only works on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone AiriPhone 16, iPhone 16E, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro or Mac and iPad M series, as well as the latest iPad mini.

Watch this: Apple delaying Siri’s intelligence is not a failure. The problem is bigger than Apple

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How to see how much storage Apple Intelligence is using

If you’re concerned about Apple Intelligence’s storage needs, you can find out how much the system is using by going to Settings > General > iPhone (or iPad) Storage > iOS (or iPadOS).

Note that even after disabling Apple Intelligence, this storage still appears in the iOS storage list. However, I was able to confirm that if the phone’s memory fills up and the system needs that now-idle space, iOS recovers what it needs.

How to Completely Disable Apple Intelligence (iPhone, iPad, and Mac)

Open Settings (iPhone or iPad) or System Settings (Mac) and choose Apple Intelligence and Siri. Then turn off the Apple Intelligence option. Confirm your choice in the dialog box that appears by pressing Turn off Apple Intelligence.

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Here’s what you lose:

(Curiously, the Cleaning tool in Photos remains even when Apple Intelligence is turned off, perhaps because the first time you use it, the app downloads the corresponding assets and keeps them.)

How to disable individual Apple Intelligence features

Maybe you find some Apple Intelligence features useful while others are annoying (or just very amusing). You can disable specific features in the settings of the apps to which they apply.

For example, to turn off text summaries in Messages notifications, go to Settings > Apps > Messages and turn it off Summarize messages option.

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Some features are not as application specific. Writing Tools, which uses Apple Intelligence to check or rewrite text, appears as an option when you select text in any app. To disable this feature, you must disable Apple Intelligence system-wide.

Also note that almost all apps include an Apple Intelligence and Siri option in Settings, with a Learn from this app option (enabled by default). This only applies to whether Apple Intelligence and Siri can monitor how you use it to make suggestions; This does not affect any particular functionality of Apple Intelligence. (Has anyone forwarded you a social media post saying Apple Intelligence is stealing your private data? That’s not what’s happening.)

How to turn off Apple Intelligence features in Screen Time settings

Another option for restricting what Apple Intelligence can do is buried in Screen Time settings. Screen Time is designed to control which apps and features can run on another device, such as the iPhone used by a child in your household. But it’s also useful for tracking how much time you spend on the device and, in this case, disabling certain components of Apple Intelligence.

1. Open the Settings app and go to Screen Time > Content and Privacy Restrictions.
2. Turn it on Content and Privacy Restrictions option if it is not already enabled. If this is your first time toggling this switch, don’t worry: everything is allowed by default.
3. Faucet Intelligence and Siri.
4. Tap the following three features and decide whether or not to allow their use: Creating images (like Image Playground and Genmoji), Writing tools and the ChatGPT extension (which uses ChatGPT to handle requests that exceed Apple Intelligence’s built-in capabilities).

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If you haven’t upgraded to iOS 26 yet, make a good backup first. So be sure to check out the hidden features you should try right now.