While many users have embraced Apple Intelligence and eagerly anticipate its expanded capabilities, some individuals have opted out of the feature. Recently, these users have reported that recent updates to macOS and iOS have restored the functionality without their consent.
This appears to be a bug, though the exact cause of this unexpected behavior and its prevalence remain unclear.
Apple Intelligence is designed to be an optional feature. When updating to a compatible version of macOS, iOS, or iPadOS, users should be prompted regarding their preference for enabling it.
Users who previously declined the option in earlier updates have noted that after installing macOS 15.3.1 and iOS 18.3.1, the feature was re-enabled without the usual “Skip For Now” choice available. Developer Jeff Johnson experienced this issue himself.
Several users who had previously disabled Apple Intelligence in macOS 15.3 and iOS 18.3 found that the feature was reactivated post-update to macOS 15.3.1 and iOS 18.3.1. Personally, I’ve encountered this on my two Apple silicon Macs running macOS Sequoia; after updating both to 15.3.1, Apple Intelligence was re-enabled on my MacBook Pro but not on my Mac mini.
The difference seems to hinge on whether the Setup Assistant and welcome screen appear after the update. My MacBook Pro displayed the Setup Assistant, whereas my Mac mini did not.
Jeff also pointed out that security researcher Will Dormann experienced a similar problem on iOS.
For those who updated to iOS 18.3.1 today: Did you encounter a “Welcome” screen upon reboot and a subsequent Apple Intelligence screen that automatically activated it?
Out of my two iPhones (linked to different Apple accounts), both displayed the multi-language welcome screen. The one capable of supporting Apple Intelligence also presented the Apple Intelligence screen, which activated the feature.
How to Turn Off Apple Intelligence
If you find yourself in this predicament, turning off the feature is straightforward.
For Mac users, navigate to > System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and toggle the Apple Intelligence switch to off.
For iPhone users, open the Settings app, go to Apple Intelligence & Siri, and toggle the Apple Intelligence switch to off.
We anticipate that this issue will be addressed in forthcoming updates.
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