iPhone AI adjustment led to irreversible change, leaving user yearning for the past after seven days
In a world where smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives, one author decided to take a step back and investigate the settings on their iPhone to see how close they could get to a more private and controlled experience. The author found that every app in their settings list now has a new option under the section called "Apple Intelligence & Siri".
This led to the discovery of a new feature rolled out by Apple - Apple Intelligence. This feature includes AI-enhancements throughout iOS, with attention-grabbing features like Visual Intelligence. One of the key components of Apple Intelligence is its integration with Siri, allowing the assistant to make suggestions "across apps".
However, the author found a small measure of empowerment in taking back control over the communication between apps. They decided to investigate the settings further and found that by default, the "Learn from this App" setting is turned on for every app in the Apple Intelligence & Siri section of iPhone settings.
Disabling these settings significantly affects how app suggestions and data sharing operate. When you disable Apple Intelligence and Siri suggestions, the system stops analyzing your on-device data to provide personalized suggestions. This leads to fewer or no proactive app recommendations appearing in places like the lock screen, Search, or within apps.
Moreover, turning off these settings limits the data Apple collects and processes. Apple Intelligence uses on-device processing to enhance features, but some data can be sent to Apple servers to improve Siri and related functionality. Disabling these features reduces or halts such data exchange, which enhances user privacy by preventing usage data and interaction patterns from being shared or analyzed.
It is generally not possible to remove all AI components entirely from the device since some are deeply integrated for system functions. However, toggling off Apple Intelligence & Siri settings will stop most smart suggestions and reduce AI-driven personalization.
The author appreciates the sense that apps no longer trade data points because of a setting previously unknown in the menus, enhancing privacy. They also noticed that the automatically grouped folders in the App Library no longer have the most-read apps reliably at the top, sometimes appearing in alphabetical order.
The detox of the iPhone has made it easier to reduce reliance on apps that are not on the home screen, as they are more buried and require active searching. The author plans to whittle down subscriptions and stop paying for more than one cloud storage service, which promises more admin work.
In summary, disabling "Apple Intelligence & Siri" stops your iPhone from proactively suggesting apps and content based on your behavior and minimizes data shared with Apple related to these AI features, enhancing user privacy at the cost of convenience and personalization.
PewDiePie, a popular YouTuber, praised a custom OS he was using on his phone for not having suggestions or AI tie-ins, and apps having no ability to talk to each other in background processes. The iPhone no longer suggests apps based on location, such as train ticket apps in Edinburgh's main rail station or Citymapper in a new location. For those seeking a more private and controlled iPhone experience, disabling the "Apple Intelligence & Siri" settings might be a step in the right direction.
The discovery of the new feature, Apple Intelligence, revealed that it includes AI-enhancements throughout iOS, with often intrusive features like Visual Intelligence and integration with Siri for cross-app suggestions. Consequently, the author found that disabling the "Learn from this App" setting for every app in the Apple Intelligence & Siri section of iPhone settings significantly affects data sharing and personalized app suggestions, which can lead to a more private and controlled experience, similar to PewDiePie's custom OS without suggestions or AI tie-ins.
