In iOS 18.3, the iPhone maker has enabled its AI capabilities, Apple Intelligence, by default.
Apple has released iOS 18.3, a major iPhone update including urgent security fixes. But iOS 18.3 is also notable for another reason — the iPhone maker has enabled its AI capabilities, Apple Intelligence, by default.
It’s certainly not ideal for those of us who prefer to opt-in to services, rather than out of them — especially since AI by its nature collects a lot of data. Before iOS 18.3, Apple appeared to acknowledge this, allowing people to choose to specifically opt-in to Apple Intelligence.
Indeed, Apple Intelligence now includes Siri integration which capitalizes on a partnership with Open AI’s ChatGPT. And when you send data to ChatGPT in iOS 18.3, OpenAI’s less stringent privacy policy applies.
So, once you’ve upgraded to iOS 18.3 — which includes important security updates so is worth doing right now — how do you disable Apple Intelligence on your iPhone?
In order to disable Apple Intelligence, you first need to update your iPhone to iOS 18.3.
iOS 18.3 — How To Turn Off Apple Intelligence Now
Ok, so you’ve hopefully upgraded to iOS 18.3. Once you’ve done so, go to your iPhone Settings. Then go to Apple Intelligence and Siri and you can toggle off Apple Intelligence. Simple.
You can also just opt-in to select Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.3, For example, you can turn off the data-hungry ChatGPT Siri integration in Settings > Apple Intelligence > ChatGPT and toggle it to Off.
While iOS 18.3 is available for iPhone models from the iPhone XR and up, Apple Intelligence is only available for the iPhone 15 and above. Therefore, you only need to disable these features if you own an iPhone 15 or iPhone 16, or iPad models with M1 or later and iPad mini (A17 Pro).
Toggle Apple Intelligence to off in your settings.
Why You Might Want to Disable Apple Intelligence In iOS 18.3
Apple Intelligence has been a mixed bag so far and the iPhone maker has come under fire for pushing inaccurate headiness from news sites.
Apple has a strong privacy ethos, more so than most of its competitors in AI, but there can still be privacy concerns with the features automatically enabled in iOS 18.3. One is the sheer volume of data needed to fuel AI, the other is the fact some data can be sent to ChatGPT, albeit with your permission.
Apple Intelligence prioritizes on-device processing for privacy reasons, but for complex tasks, it can sometimes rely on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute. “It processes data from a variety of applications including emails, texts and other communications that may contain sensitive information — posing a risk of unintended exposure to the algorithm if not properly managed,” says Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET.
“AI features sound impressive, but people need to remember that they process sensitive information and you need to be mindful of when and where data gets processed,” says Moore.
I asked Apple to comment on this article and will update it if the iPhone maker responds.
Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.3 have only just been launched. If you are concerned, there’s nothing wrong with turning them off now and enabling them again when you feel more confident.
