The latest iOS 18.3 update brought a couple more Apple Intelligence features onto users' devices. Apple's suite of AI features is already available on a limited number of devices, as the company argues underpowered devices may not deliver the desired experience.
But if you have an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, have you ever thought about disabling it? If Apple Intelligence isn't your cup of tea or feels too early, disabling the feature might free up several gigabytes of your iPhone storage space.
According to a recently published Apple support page spotted by MacRumors, your iPhone should have 7GB of free space to run Apple Intelligence. The company writes in the fine print that "if you turn off Apple Intelligence, the on-device models may be removed from your device."
Such a massive storage footprint might help Apple justify its privacy and on-device processing claims. But that only reduces the amount of space you have if you don't use the AI features. The publication notes that Apple Intelligence uses the MobileAsset framework to manage the machine learning models and related assets on your device.
MobileAsset framework can automatically download and update necessary components when needed and without requiring lengthy system updates. It also deletes them when Apple Intelligence is disabled on the device and senses that those assets are no longer in use.
To disable Apple Intelligence and reclaim up to 7GB of iPhone storage, go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri. Here is the toggle of the switch next to Apple Intelligence. Not just your iPhone, you can disable it on macOS 15.1 (or later) and iPadOS 18.1 (or later) to reclaim storage on those devices too.
Apple Intelligence beta is supported on the following devices and platforms:
- iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPad Pro (M1 and later), iPad mini (A17 Pro), iPad Air (M1 and later)
- MacBook Air (M1 and later), MacBook Pro (M1 and later)
- iMac (M1 and later), Mac mini (M1 and later)
- Mac Studio (M1 Max and later), Mac Pro (M2 Ultra)
Apple offers over 15 Apple Intelligence features integrated across apps and services, including Genmoji, Image Playground, Clean Up in Photos, Notification summaries, Writing Tools, and more. The company will release more AI features in future updates, such as iOS 18.4, so its storage footprint might increase.
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