How to Disable All AI Features on iPhone 16/17 After the Latest iOS 26 Update

Apple’s latest iOS 26 update brings a wave of new AI-powered features under the Apple Intelligence umbrella. While many users appreciate the smarter Siri, AI-generated writing tools, notification summaries, and image features, not everyone is thrilled about having artificial intelligence integrated into their daily smartphone experience.

If you prefer a more traditional iPhone experience, here’s how you can disable most AI features introduced with iOS 26.

Why Some Users Want to Turn Off AI

Since the release of iOS 26, many iPhone users have expressed concerns about:

• Increased battery consumption
• Privacy and data processing worries
• AI-generated summaries that can be inaccurate
• Siri becoming overly intrusive
• Unwanted AI suggestions throughout the system
• Storage space used by Apple Intelligence models

Fortunately, Apple allows users to disable many of these features.

Turn Off Apple Intelligence

The easiest way to disable most AI functionality is:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Apple Intelligence & Siri
3. Toggle Apple Intelligence OFF
4. Confirm your choice

This disables the majority of Apple’s AI-powered features across the operating system.

Disable AI Writing Tools

Apple Intelligence introduces Writing Tools that can rewrite, summarize, and proofread text.

To limit these features:

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Apple Intelligence & Siri
3. Turn off available Writing Tools options

If specific apps continue showing AI suggestions, you may need to disable them within the app’s settings.

Turn Off Notification Summaries

AI-generated notification summaries can sometimes misrepresent messages.

To disable them:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Notifications
3. Select Summarize Notifications
4. Turn the feature OFF

Notifications will return to their original format.

Disable AI-Powered Siri Features

While Siri itself cannot be completely removed, you can reduce its AI capabilities:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Apple Intelligence & Siri
3. Disable:
   • Type to Siri
   • Siri Suggestions
   • Learn from this App
   • Personalized Suggestions

This makes Siri behave more like earlier versions.

Turn Off AI in Photos

Apple’s newer Photos features use AI for object recognition, search, and memory generation.

To reduce AI activity:

1. Open Settings
2. Select Apps
3. Tap Photos
4. Disable:
   • Featured Content
   • Memories
   • Suggested Memories

Disable AI Suggestions Across Apps

Many Apple apps use machine learning to suggest actions and content.

To disable them:

1. Open Settings
2. Select Siri & Search
3. Turn off:
   • Suggestions in Search
   • Suggestions in Look Up
   • Suggestions on Lock Screen
   • Suggestions when Sharing

You can also disable Siri suggestions for individual apps.

Reduce AI-Based Analytics

For users concerned about privacy:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Privacy & Security
3. Select Analytics & Improvements
4. Turn off:
   • Share iPhone Analytics
   • Improve Siri & Dictation
   • Share with App Developers

This limits diagnostic data sharing.

Can You Completely Remove AI from iPhone?

Not entirely.

Many modern iPhone features rely on machine learning for:

• Face ID
• Camera processing
• Predictive text
• Battery optimization
• Spam detection

Even after disabling Apple Intelligence, some background machine-learning functions remain part of iOS and cannot be fully removed.

Final Thoughts

Apple has made AI a central part of the iOS 26 experience, but users still have significant control over how much of it they use. By turning off Apple Intelligence, notification summaries, Siri suggestions, and AI-powered writing tools, you can significantly reduce the amount of artificial intelligence operating on your iPhone.

For users who value privacy, simplicity, or battery life, spending a few minutes adjusting these settings can make iOS 26 feel much closer to the classic iPhone experience.