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 update provides a welcome Prioritize Notifications function 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 in the event you 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 doubt why it is annoying that Apple Intelligence is getting turned again on. Message summaries could be dodgy, generated images are unpredictable and the promised leap in Siri’s capabilities has been officially pushed back.

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

See additionally: Did a well-meaning good friend ship you a message about Apple Intelligence probably studying your non-public data? I explain what’s actually going on.

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 equivalent to Image Playground, Genmoji and message summaries can use as much as 7GB of your gadget’s inside storage — a large chunk, particularly in the event you are inclined to run towards the higher restrict of its free area.

Even when storage is just not a difficulty, you simply might not be keen on Apple’s set of AI options. In line with 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 owners aren’t interested at all.

Or, actually, you could not wish to cope with options which are creating inaccurate summaries or that may be replicated without Apple Intelligence.

The excellent news is that it is simple to show off Apple Intelligence completely. Or in the event you’d want to choose and select, you possibly can selectively disable among the options. Doing so additionally allows 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 admire options equivalent to notification summaries and the Clean Up tool within the Pictures app. And but, Apple Intelligence can also be a piece in progress, an evolving set of options that Apple is closely hyping whereas progressively growing. I would not maintain it towards you in the event you 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).

Here is what you might want to learn about disabling it.

Methods to see the quantity of storage Apple Intelligence is utilizing

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

Word that even after turning off Apple Intelligence, that storage nonetheless exhibits up within the iOS Storage listing. Nonetheless, I used to be in a position to affirm that if the cellphone’s storage fills up and the system wants that now-inactive area, iOS reclaims what it wants.

Methods to 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. Affirm your selection within the dialog that seems by tapping Flip Off Apple Intelligence.

Here is what you lose:

• Visual Intelligence (on iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Professional)

• Genmoji (on iPhone and iPad; it is not obtainable but on Mac)

• Picture Playground — the app stays, however you possibly can’t create new pictures.

• Image Wand within the Notes app

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

Methods to 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’ll be able to 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 change off the Summarize Messages choice.

Some options are usually not 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, you might want to disable Apple Intelligence system-wide.

Additionally be aware 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 whether Apple Intelligence and Siri can monitor how you employ it to make solutions; it would not have an effect on any specific Apple Intelligence options.

Methods to flip off Apple Intelligence options in Display Time settings

Another choice for limiting what Apple Intelligence can do is buried within the Display Time settings. Screen Time is designed to manage which apps and options can run on one other gadget, such because the iPhone utilized by a toddler in your family. However it’s additionally useful for monitoring how a lot time you are spending on the gadget and, on this case, turning off some elements of Apple Intelligence.

1. Open the Settings app and go to Display Time > Content material & Privateness Restrictions.

2. Activate the Content material & Privateness Restrictions choice if it is not already enabled. If that is the primary time you are flipping this change, don’t fret — every little thing 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 (equivalent 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 sorts messages into categories and if you haven’t upgraded already, make a good backup first.