Unplug from Apple’s intelligence: A step-by-step guide for the 73% who don’t buy into the AI ​​hype

Apple and Google have been touting the AI ​​features they’re bringing to iPhone and Android smartphones — and Apple even cheekily hijacked the acronym by calling them Apple intelligence. But clearly not everyone is eager to jump into this new assistive technology: new technology Survey conducted by SellCell indicates that 73% of Apple users believe that AI adds no value to the phone experience, while CNET found that 25% of smartphone owners are not interested at all.

If Apple Intelligence isn’t your thing, or if you’d rather wait until the technology matures a little more, it’s easy to turn it off completely or selectively disable some features.

I’m not Artificial intelligence crank – I appreciate features like notification summaries and Cleaning tool In the Photos app. However, Apple Intelligence is also a work in progress, an evolving set of features that Apple is aggressively hyping as it gradually develops it. I wouldn’t hold it against you if you don’t want to get distracted or feel like you’re doing an Apple test for them (which they are Developer and public beta versions cardamom).

Remember, Apple Intelligence only works on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, or M-series Macs and iPads (plus the latest iPad mini). And if you have already done so Updated to iOS 18.2You need that Add yourself to the waiting list To access new features.

Here’s what you need to know about disabling it.

How to turn off Apple Intelligence entirely (iPhone, iPad, Mac)

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

Here’s what you lose:

(Oddly enough, the Cleanup tool in Photos remains there even when Apple Intelligence is turned off, perhaps because the first time you use it the app downloads its resources.)

How to turn off individual Apple Intelligence features

You may find some Apple Intelligence features useful while others are annoying (or downright annoying). Entertaining). You can turn off certain features in the settings of the apps they apply to.

For example, to disable text summaries in message notifications, go to Settings > Applications > Messages And turn off Summarizing messages option.

Some features are not app specific. Writing Tools, which uses Apple intelligence to proofread or retype text, appears as an option when you select text, regardless of the app. To turn this off, you need to disable Apple Intelligence at the system level.

Also note that almost every app includes an Apple Intelligence & Siri option in Settings, with a button Learn from this app Option (turned on by default). This only applies if Apple Intelligence and Siri can monitor how you use it to make suggestions; It does not affect any specific Apple Intelligence features.

For more on iOS 18.2, see How the Mail app in iOS 18.2 sorts messages into categories and If you haven’t already upgraded, make a good backup first.