Whether you’ve embraced the wave of AI or not, the technology is here to stay. Although Apple has taken a more measured approach to implementing AI features than its competitors, Apple intelligence has had a poor track record so far, including delays in Siri, questionable message summaries, and unexpected generated images.
Now, a new ZDNET/Aberdeen survey shows that a majority of US adults say they wouldn’t use most AI features, and only 8% would consider paying extra for them. Some AI features are more welcome than others, with 58% of respondents saying it would be valuable to use AI for photo editing. I also admit that priority notifications have been helpful — but I won’t hold it against you if you want to press pause or ignore Apple intelligence for now.
It’s easy to turn off Apple intelligence, whether you’re turning it off completely or selectively turning off individual features.
See also: Has a well-meaning friend sent you a message about Apple intelligence that can potentially read your private information? Let me explain what’s really going on.
Why turn off Apple intelligence in the first place
Since the Apple intelligence feature first rolled out in iOS 18.1, some people have opted out of the new technology. Tools like Image Playground, ZenMoji, and Message Summary can use up to 7GB of your device’s internal storage — a huge chunk, especially if you work against its upper limit of free space.
Even if storage isn’t an issue, you might not be interested in Apple’s AI features. According to a new survey from SellCell, 73% of Apple users think AI adds little or no value to the experience. In a separate survey, CNET found that 25% of smartphone owners aren’t interested at all.
Or, honestly, you just don’t want to deal with features that are creating inaccurate summaries or that can be replicated without Apple Intelligence.
The good news is that it’s easy to turn off Apple Intelligence entirely. Or if you prefer to be picky, you can selectively disable certain features. By doing so you can reclaim the storage it’s using.
Is Apple Intelligence really ready to be turned on by default
I’m not an AI crank — I appreciate features like the notification summary and clean up tool in the Photos app. And yet, Apple Intelligence is also a work in progress, an evolving set of features that Apple is promoting heavily while slowly developing. I don’t hold it against you if you don’t want to be distracted or feel like you’re testing Apple for them (that’s what developer and public betas are for).
Remember that Apple Intelligence only works on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 16E, iPhone 16 Pro, or M-series Macs and iPads, as well as the latest iPad mini.
Here’s everything you need to know about disabling it.
Note that even after turning off Apple Intelligence, that storage still appears in the iOS storage list. However, I was able to confirm that if the phone’s storage fills up and the system needs the now idle space, iOS grabs the space it needs.
How to turn off individual Apple Intelligence features
You might find some Apple Intelligence features helpful, while others are annoying (or just very entertaining). You can turn off specific features in the settings of the apps they apply to.
For example, to disable text summaries in Messages notifications, go to Settings > Apps > Messages and turn off the Summarize Messages option.