Bug in macOS and iOS updates re-enables Apple Intelligence for some who had opted out

While most users have eagerly embraced Apple Intelligence and are looking forward to its further development, some have chosen to opt out. However, reports have surfaced indicating that the latest macOS and iOS updates have inadvertently re-enabled this feature for some users.

Although this is clearly a bug, the exact cause of this unintended behavior and its overall prevalence remain unclear at this time.

Apple Intelligence is an optional feature, and users are typically prompted to enable or disable it when updating to a compatible version of macOS, iOS, or iPadOS.

Several users who had previously declined the feature in an earlier update have noticed that macOS 15.3.1 and iOS 18.3.1 have automatically re-enabled it without providing the usual “Skip For Now” option. Developer Jeff Johnson shared his experience with this issue.

After updating to macOS 15.3.1, some individuals who had previously disabled Apple Intelligence in macOS 15.3 observed that it was turned back on. In my case, both of my Apple silicon Macs running macOS Sequoia were updated to 15.3.1, and Apple Intelligence was re-enabled on my MacBook Pro but not on my Mac mini.

The discrepancy in behavior seems to be related to whether the Setup Assistant and welcome screen are displayed post-update. I encountered the Setup Assistant on my MacBook Pro but not on my Mac mini.

Security researcher Will Dormann also encountered a similar issue on iOS.

Users who updated to iOS 18.3.1 today: Did you see a “Welcome” screen upon reboot, followed by an Apple Intelligence screen that automatically activated the feature?

Both of my iPhone devices (on separate Apple accounts) displayed the multi-language welcome screen. The newer device that supported Apple Intelligence also showed the Apple Intelligence screen, which enabled it.

How to Turn Off Apple Intelligence

If you find yourself in this situation, you can easily disable Apple Intelligence.

On a Mac, navigate to  > System Preferences > Apple Intelligence & Siri and switch off the Apple Intelligence toggle.

On an iPhone, open the Settings app, go to Apple Intelligence & Siri, and toggle off Apple Intelligence.

We anticipate that this issue will be addressed in future updates.

Image: 9to5Mac