iOS 18.3 Update to Enable Apple Intelligence on Supported Devices by Default

Apple said that the AI features will be turned on by default during the iPhone onboarding process while updating to iOS 18.3.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by Manas Mitul | Updated: 22 January 2025 18:56 IST

iOS 18.3 Update to Enable Apple Intelligence on Supported Devices by Default

Photo Credit: Apple

Apple Intelligence features were first rolled out to supported devices with iOS 18.1 update

Highlights

Apple shared the information with iOS 18.3 Release Candidate notes
The company is planning the same with the next iPadOS and macOS update
Users will still be able to disable Apple Intelligence manually

Apple Intelligence will be enabled by default on iPhone with the upcoming iOS 18.3 update. Apple announced the change with the iOS 18.3 Release Candidate (RC), which rolled out to beta users on Tuesday. Till now, users were asked whether they would like to enable the artificial intelligence (AI) features or not; this, however, will not be the case going forward. Notably, the company is planning the same for iPad and Mac devices with their next updates.

Apple Intelligence to Be Automatically Enabled With iOS 18.3

In its iOS 18.3 RC release notes, the tech giant stated the new change, highlighting how users will not get to choose whether or not to enable Apple Intelligence when updating to iOS 18.3. This will only affect iPhone devices that currently support the AI features.

Apple said that during the installation process of the new update, Apple Intelligence will be enabled automatically. This means when the handset reboots, users will find all the AI features activated. However, this does not mean these features cannot be disabled. The tech giant added that users can navigate to the Apple Intelligence & Siri Settings panel and turn off the Apple Intelligence toggle to turn off the AI features on their device.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

The new change is a departure from the iPhone maker's previous strategy which gave users the option to choose whether or not to use AI tools. That was likely being done as the company worked on fixing bugs and glitches and optimising Apple Intelligence. However, it appears that the tech giant is confident in its in-house AI suite and wants more users to adopt the technology.

However, the company did not mention whether Apple Intelligence will also be re-enabled for those users who had turned it on briefly in the past and then manually disabled it.

Notably, the iOS 18.3 update does not bring any major new features. However, it reportedly added several changes to the AI notification summaries feature that recently drew flak for generating erroneous summaries of news headlines.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Apple Intelligence, iOS, iOS 18, AI, Artificial Intelligence, iPhone

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More