Did you turn off Apple Intelligence? Updating to iOS 18.3.1 or macOS 15.3.1 might’ve turned it on again

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On again, off again

iPhone 16 Pro Max with Apple Intelligence
(Image credit: Future / Apple)
  • iOS 18.3.1 and macOS 15.3.1 launched this week
  • Some users who had previously disabled Apple Intelligence have found it re-enabled on the new software update
  • Easy to disable again, but it's still an annoying bug

Have you turned off Apple Intelligence? Well it might've been turned on again when you updated to the latest iOS 18.3.1 or macOS 15.3.1.

Some users are reporting that the new software updates that released yesterday with security updates has been re-enabling Apple Intelligence, despite users having turned off Apple's AI prior to updating.

The issue was brought to our attention via a blog post by developer Jeff Johnson who says, "Some people who had previously disabled Apple Intelligence in macOS 15.3 and iOS 18.3 saw it re-enabled after updating to macOS 15.3.1 and iOS 18.3.1 today. In fact, I personally have two different Apple silicon Macs running macOS Sequoia, and after I updated both Macs to 15.3.1, Apple Intelligence was re-enabled on my MacBook Pro but not on my Mac mini."

Other users have also reported an issue were the 'Welcome' screen essentially turns on Apple Intelligence and removes your previously registered preferences.

It's fair to assume that this bug should be fixed promptly, although it's worth remembering before you see Apple Intelligence features like Notification summaries, Mail categorization, and ChatGPT in Siri re-enabled on your devices.

AI should always be opt-in

Three iPhones on a blue and red background running Apple Intelligence

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple, of course, wants users to use Apple Intelligence on compatible devices but fortunately there's the built-in option to disable the AI tools. While this particular bug isn't that inconvenient and can be rectified by simply heading to Settings>Apple Intelligence & Siri>Toggle off, it's still something that might catch you off guard.

We expect Apple to fix this issue swiftly and have reached out to the company for comment. Apple Intelligence continues to improve daily and we're expecting to see even more AI tools when iOS 18.4 releases later this year. If you've not used Apple Intelligence in a while, this might be the nudge you need to give it a try again.

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John-Anthony Disotto
John-Anthony Disotto
Senior Writer AI

John-Anthony Disotto is TechRadar's Senior Writer, AI, bringing you the latest news on, and comprehensive coverage of, tech's biggest buzzword. An expert on all things Apple, he was previously iMore's How To Editor, and has a monthly column in MacFormat. John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade, and is an award-winning journalist with years of experience in editorial.

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