The majority of the major new features in iOS 18.3 center on Apple Intelligence, such as underlined message summaries (as a kind of damage control following multiple humiliating and false instances). The major news, however, is that Apple Intelligence is now enabled by default on devices such as the iPhone 16 series, rather than requiring additional steps to activate it.
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However, if you are not interested in these still-in-beta developments and do not want tools like Image Playground and Genmoji using up valuable storage space, you are not required to use them. You are also not alone. According to a recent SellCell poll, 73% of Apple consumers believe AI provides little to no value to their experience. In a separate study, CNET discovered that
25% of smartphone owners show no interest at all.
The good thing is that you can turn off Apple Intelligence completely. Alternatively, if you like to pick and choose, you can disable certain features.
Is Apple Intelligence really ready to be enabled by default?
I’m not an AI fanatic; I love tools like notification summaries and the Clean Up tool in the Photos app. However, Apple Intelligence is still a work in progress, a dynamic set of capabilities that Apple is strongly promoting while progressively developing. I would not hold that against you.
if you didn’t want to be sidetracked or feel like you were testing for Apple (that’s what the developer and public betas are for).
Remember that Apple Intelligence is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and M-series Macs and iPads (including the new iPad mini). If you’ve already updated to iOS 18.2, you’ll need to add yourself to the queue to gain access to the new features.
Here is all you need to know about deactivating it.
How to disable Apple Intelligence altogether (iPhone, iPad, and Mac)
Go to Settings (iPhone or iPad) or System Settings (Mac) and choose Apple Intelligence & Siri. Then turn off the apple.
Intelligence option. Tap Turn Off Apple Intelligence to confirm your choice in the resulting window.
Two iPhone screenshots showcasing the Apple Intelligence and Siri settings. On the left, the Apple Intelligence option is underlined. On the right, it is switched off, with a confirmation window showing.
Turn off Apple Intelligence completely with a single switch.
Screenshot: Jeff Carlson/CNET.
This is what you lose:
- Writing Tools
- Notification summaries
- Visual Intelligence (for iPhone 16 and 16 Pro)
- Genmoji (on iPhone and iPad; not yet accessible on Mac)
- Image Playground—the software exists, but you cannot generate new photos.
- ChatGPT support for Siri, Image Wand in Notes, and the Clean Up tool in Photos remain even after turning off Apple
- Intelligence, possibly due to its first use.
When you utilize it, the program downloads the necessary resources.)
How to disable individual Apple Intelligence capabilities.
Perhaps you find certain Apple Intelligence features useful while others are bothersome (or just humorous). You can disable individual features in the settings of the apps to which they apply.
For example, to deactivate text summaries in Messages alerts, click to Settings > Apps > Messages and uncheck the Summarize Messages option.
iPhone setting screenshot showing the Summarize Messages option disabled in Messages.
Turn off Messages summaries while continuing to use other Apple Intelligence services.
Screenshot: Jeff Carlson/CNET.
Some capabilities are less app-specific. Writing Tools, which employ Apple Intelligence to proofread or modify text, display as an option whenever you pick text, independent of program.
To turn it off, you must disable Apple Intelligence on the entire system.
Also, practically every app has an Apple Intelligence & Siri option in Settings, along with a Learn from this App option (which is enabled by default). That only relates to whether Apple Intelligence and Siri can track how you use it to generate suggestions; it has no effect on any other Apple Intelligence functions.
How to disable Apple Intelligence features in Screen Time settings.
Another option for limiting what Apple Intelligence can do is hidden in the Screen Time settings. Screen Time is intended to limit which applications and functionalities may run on another device, like as an iPhone used by a youngster in your home. However, it is also useful for measuring how much time you’re
spending on the device, and, in this example, disabling several Apple Intelligence features.
Open the Settings app and go to Screen Time > Content and Privacy Restrictions.
If you haven’t previously done so, enable the Content & Privacy Restrictions option. If this is your first time turning this switch, don’t worry; everything is enabled by default.
Tap Intelligence & Siri.
Tap on the following three features and choose whether to allow or disallow their use: Image Creation (including Image Playground and Genmoji), Writing Tools, and the ChatGPT Extension (which use ChatGPT to handle requests that exceed the built-in Apple Intelligence capabilities).
iOS 18 Screen Time settings for disabling Apple Intelligence capabilities.
Screen Time settings allow you to disable specific Apple Intelligence capabilities.
How to monitor how much storage Apple Intelligence is consuming
If you’re concerned about Apple Intelligence’s storage requirements, go to Settings > General > iPhone (or iPad) Storage > iOS (or iPadOS) to see how much space it’s consuming.
Two iPhone images of the Settings panel, one showing iOS storage and the other the Apple Intelligence part.
In Settings, you can see how much storage space Apple Intelligence is consuming.
Screenshot via Jeff Carlson/CNET.
Unfortunately, from my tests, turning off Apple Intelligence does not appear to recoup that storage space: After doing this and restarting my devices, the Apple Intelligence item and amount remain same.
For further information on iOS 18.2, check how the Mail app classifies messages into categories and whether you If you haven’t already updated, create a decent backup.