To turn off Apple Intelligence features on an iPhone running iOS 27, use the controls for the feature you want to stop. Summaries, priority notifications and Siri have separate settings. Apple’s current instructions do not describe one step that uninstalls every AI component from the phone.
Check the version before following an old tutorial
This guide uses Apple’s current U.S. iOS 27 documentation, checked November 5, 2026. It is a documentation-based guide, not a hands-on battery, storage or privacy test. Menu names can differ with the installed software and Siri version.
Apple’s iOS 26 setup note places Apple Intelligence controls under Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri. Its current iOS 27 feature-control guide instead directs you to individual settings. Use the documentation version selector to match your software, rather than treating an older screenshot as a missing-setting error.
Do not change your Apple Account country, install a configuration profile or skip security updates just to imitate a tutorial. On a managed work or school phone, ask the administrator about controls that you cannot change.
Turn off unwanted summaries and priority notifications
| What you want to stop | Where to change it in Settings |
|---|---|
| Notification summaries | Notifications > Summarize Notifications; turn it off |
| Priority notifications | Notifications > Prioritize Notifications; turn it off |
| Summaries in Messages | Apps > Messages > Summarize Messages; turn it off |
| Mail preview summaries | Apps > Mail > Summarize Message Previews; turn it off |
Choose the row that matches the actual problem. An unwanted priority label and an inaccurate summary are different complaints. After changing one control, check a new notification or message before changing anything else. Read the original message when the precise wording matters.
Keep Siri Classic, or turn Siri off
For Siri AI, Apple’s current guide says to open Settings > Siri, scroll down and tap Turn Off Siri, then confirm. To switch to the classic assistant, turn Siri on again and choose Siri Classic.
Decide which outcome you want before doing this. Turning off the assistant is a broader change than stopping notification summaries. If you rely on spoken commands, check that the option you retain still handles the tasks you need. Do not test a new setup while driving.
Use Screen Time for broader feature restrictions
Apple’s iOS 27 Screen Time instructions use Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Siri. Depending on the Siri version, the available choices include Don’t Allow Siri, Siri (Classic Version), Siri AI (Beta), and controls for specific capabilities such as Image Creation. Select the restriction that matches your goal; the list is not identical on every setup.
Screen Time’s labels also differ in the iOS 26 edition of Apple’s guide. Select the matching version before looking for an older restriction.
Record what you change so you can reverse it. If a family member manages Screen Time, work with them rather than trying to bypass their passcode. Before restricting a feature on a shared or family device, check whether someone uses it for accessibility or communication.
A privacy report is not an AI off switch
Apple’s Apple Intelligence privacy guide distinguishes on-device processing from requests sent to Private Cloud Compute, Apple’s server-based processing service. The Apple Intelligence Report in Settings > Privacy & Security records those Private Cloud Compute requests. Selecting Off there disables the report, not Apple Intelligence itself. An empty report is not proof that you have disabled every AI function.
For the connection side of this question, see our guide to Apple Intelligence’s offline limits. Do not treat an airplane-mode check or an unused report as a complete privacy audit. If your concern is another AI app installed on the phone, review that app’s own settings separately.
Will turning features off free up storage?
Do not count on an immediate, fixed amount of recovered space. Apple’s current Apple Intelligence requirements describe integration with iOS 27 and storage requirements of up to 14 GB on certain supported models or up to 8 GB on others. Those requirements are not a promise that disabling one summary control removes that much data. Apple also notes that model downloads and removal can temporarily increase storage usage around an update.
For a full-phone warning, open Settings > General > iPhone Storage and review the recommendations. Apple’s iPhone storage instructions distinguish offloading an app, which keeps its documents and data, from deleting it, which removes related data. Read the consequence before selecting either option. Do not erase photos, messages or an authentication app simply to chase an AI storage figure.
After changing your preferences, check that the unwanted behavior has stopped and the functions you still need work. Keep a short record of the control and its previous setting. If you later want a feature back but it does not appear, use our Apple Intelligence troubleshooting guide rather than resetting the phone as a first step.
