How to disable Apple Intelligence on an iPhone, iPad and Mac

Apple Intelligence is not a great success story like Apple could be an expert. Following on from artificial intelligence features– introduced at the end of 2024 in iOS 18.1– received mixed reactions. Some capabilities, such as automatically transcribing voice notes and recordings, create custom emojisand the correction, are useful. Others not so much. Apple has come under fire for inaccurate notification summaries, especially those from news appsand temporarily disabled the feature for the news and entertainment app in iOS 18.3.
When Apple first launched its AI venture, you had to opt in. But now with iOS 18.3, which was released today, Apple Intelligence is automatically enabled during the onboarding process for new users and for all those who have upgraded to iOS 18.3. You can always disable it by following a few steps. If you want to enable only certain features or disable everything, here’s how to disable Apple Intelligence.
For more on Apple Intelligence (and other features), check out our iOS 18 roundup and macOS Sequoia roundup. Also, check out our other Apple guides, including The best iPhones, The best iPadsand The best MacBooks.
What is Powered by Apple Intelligence?
Photography: Julian Chokkattu
For a breakdown of Apple Intelligence and how each feature works, read our aforementioned roundup Features of iOS 18 and features of macOS 15. Below is a list of all the abilities you have access to when activated:
- Writing tools
- ChatGPT extension via Siri
- Genmoji
- Image Playground
- Image Wand
- Priority Notifications
- Summaries in Mail and Messages
- Notification Summaries
- Reduce Focus Interruptions
Remember, Apple Intelligence is only available on selected devices. For example, although older iPhones can download iOS 18, only phones like the iPhone 15 Pro and the entire iPhone 16 range support Apple’s AI capabilities.
How to turn off Apple Intelligence
Screenshot courtesy of Julian Chokkattu
Disabling Apple Intelligence is the same process whether you’re using an iPhone, iPad or Mac:
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2025-01-27 22:41:00