From its introduction in iOS 18.1, Apple Intelligence has been an opt-in feature. Users had to decide to enable it, with Apple even going so far as to put people on a waiting list before they could use it.
With iOS 18.3 and macOS 15.3, Apple’s AI features become a standard default part of the experience for all compatible iPhones (iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 16), iPads, and Macs (all Macs with M1 or later processors). According to the developer documentation, Apple Intelligence will be enabled by default:
For users new or upgrading to iOS 18.3, Apple Intelligence will be enabled automatically during iPhone onboarding. Users will have access to Apple Intelligence features after setting up their devices. To disable Apple Intelligence, users will need to navigate to the Apple Intelligence & Siri Settings pane and turn off the Apple Intelligence toggle. This will disable Apple Intelligence features on their device.
Obviously, this will only be true in the regions and languages for which Apple Intelligence is available. It makes some sense; These are distinguishing features of these devices and, unlike some Siri requests and responses, Apple Intelligence features are either processed entirely on the device or via Private Cloud Compute where everything is encrypted and never saved.
Still, Apple Intelligence is clearly labeled as “Beta” and it feels premature to make any beta features opt-out rather than opt-in. To disable Apple Intelligence, open Settings, select Apple Intelligence & Siri, and flip the toggle switch to turn it off.
