Jan 22, 2025 14:00:00

It turns out that 'Apple Intelligence' will be turned on by default in the next macOS and iOS updates

It turns out that when you install the next Apple product updates, macOS Sequoia 15.3, iOS 18.3, and iPadOS 18.3, Apple's AI technology, Apple Intelligence, will be automatically turned on.

macOS Sequoia 15.3 and iOS 18.3 Enable Apple Intelligence Automatically - MacRumors

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/01/21/macos-sequoia-15-3-apple-intelligence-opt-out/

iOS 18.3 automatically enables Apple Intelligence for users, requires opt-out to disable - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/21/ios-18-3-automatically-enables-apple-intelligence-requires-opt-out-to-disable/

Apple has released release candidate (RC) builds for the upcoming updates of iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS 15.3 to developer beta testers on January 21, 2025.

The release notes state, 'For users who are using iOS 18.3 for the first time or upgrading to iOS 18.3, Apple Intelligence is automatically enabled during iPhone set up. Users will have access to Apple Intelligence features after setting up their device. To disable Apple Intelligence, users should go to the Apple Intelligence & Siri settings panel and turn off the toggle button for the Apple Intelligence item.'

The current Apple Intelligence‌ for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS is an opt-in system, so to use the feature, users must choose to enable the AI upgrade during installation or turn it on later in settings. On the other hand, the next update will be an opt-out system and will be automatically enabled.

This change means that Mac, iPhone and iPad users who don't want AI running on their devices will have to manually turn off Apple Intelligence‌ after the OS is deployed.

IT news site 9to5Mac commented, 'What's unclear is what will happen to users who enable Apple Intelligence and then later disable it. It's likely that the AI features that were deliberately turned off won't be reinstated in the next update, but we won't know what will actually happen until the public release is delivered.'

The announcement also revealed that macOS Sequoia 15.3 will bring Genmoji to the Mac for the first time, allowing you to create custom emoji, and the new update for Mac, iPhone and iPad will include tweaks to notification summaries to make it clearer when notifications contain AI-generated information.

The next update released for developer beta testers is expected to be released in public beta in late January 2025. At the time of writing, it has not yet been announced when it will be released to the public.