iPhone users who install iOS 18.3 after the upgrade launches next week will find that Apple Intelligence is now on by default for those who use a compatible handset.
Previously, using the suite of AI-powered functions required opting in, but no longer. It’s a seemingly subtle but important change.
Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.3: Switched on by default
Apple began the first phase of the Apple Intelligence rollout with iOS 18.1 in October of last year. At that time, iPhone users needed to manually request access to the AI features. They even had to join a waiting list before being granted access to the new Writing Tools. The same held true when iOS 18.2 brought Genmoji, Image Playground and more in December.
But iOS 18.3 will change that. Apple’s official notes for the release candidate that went to developers on Tuesday say, “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.”
Apple sees its new AI-powered features as a benefit to iPhone owners. However, users will never know if they don’t actually use them. Apparently, Apple now sees forcing everyone to opt in to use Writing Tools or Image Playground as an unnecessary block to adoption.
If Apple follows its usual schedule, iOS 18.3 should fully launch on Tuesday, January 28. That’s a week after the release candidate went to developers.
Those running iOS 18.1 or later and ready to create their own emoji, or want to be able to check the grammar of their emails, can opt into Apple’s AI features now. Of course, Apple Intelligence only runs on iPhone 15 Pro models and anything from the iPhone 16 series. But for devices that meet these criteria, just go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and toggle on Apple Intelligence.
Passing on AI?
Not everyone is a fan of artificial intelligence. Concerns about privacy remain common. But Apple Intelligence uses on-device processing as much as possible, meaning that many of the models that power it run entirely on the iPhone. When a task requires a larger model, Apple offers privacy and security with Private Cloud Compute to access the AI. The company promises that users’ data is never stored or shared with Apple from these secure servers.
Still, those who don’t want to use Apple’s AI can deactivate it.
“To disable Apple Intelligence, users will need to navigate to the Apple Intelligence & Siri Settings pane and turn off the Apple Intelligence toggle,” said the iPhone-maker.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
