macOS Sequoia 15.3 and iOS 18.3 Enable Apple Intelligence Automatically - MacRumors
Skip to Content

macOS Sequoia 15.3 and iOS 18.3 Enable Apple Intelligence Automatically

When installing macOS Sequoia 15.3, iOS 18.3, or iPadOS 18.3, Apple Intelligence will be turned on automatically on compatible devices, Apple says in the developer release notes for the updates.

Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

For users new or upgrading to iOS 18.3, Apple Intelligence will be enabled automatically during iPhone onboarding. Users will have access to Apple Intelligence features after setting up their devices. To disable Apple Intelligence, users will need to navigate to the Apple Intelligence & Siri Settings pane and turn off the Apple Intelligence toggle. This will disable Apple Intelligence features on their device

With macOS Sequoia 15.1, macOS Sequoia 15.2, iOS 18.1, and iOS 18.2, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ was opt-in rather than opt-out, and users who wanted the feature needed to turn it on in the Settings app. Going forward, it will be enabled by default, and Mac, iPhone, and iPad users who do not want to use the feature will need to turn it off.

macOS Sequoia 15.3 also brings Genmoji to the Mac for the first time, so Mac users will be able to create custom emoji characters after installing the update. All three new software updates add tweaks to the Notification summaries feature to make it more clear when a notification contains AI-generated information.

Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3 today, which means the software updates will see a release in the near future. We are expecting the updates to launch to the public next week.

Related Forum: macOS Sequoia

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
imac video apple feature

Apple Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever This Year

Wednesday July 29, 2026 12:03 pm PDT by
Apple this year acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019. Q.ai...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Twelve Changes Coming to Apple's Next Flagship

Thursday July 30, 2026 3:43 am PDT by
We're less than two months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a dramatic change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year,...

Top Rated Comments

20 months ago
Apple is becoming the new Microsoft.

This should be opt-in.
Score: 64 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
20 months ago

Apple Intelligence will be turned on
I wasn’t expecting sexual arousal to be implemented in AI so soon.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
20 months ago
iOS 18.3 did this too. This is upsetting; I was previously very happy with Apple for making this opt-in. Seems they're going back on that.

Some of us DO NOT want this. Please respect our wishes.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GMShadow Avatar
20 months ago

Apple is becoming the new Microsoft.
No, Microsoft wouldn't offer a toggle, you'd need to go into the Registry and remove some keys and have to do that periodically after updates.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nermal Avatar
20 months ago

But I wonder why they decided to go with automatically turned on this time.
"We spent so much money on this, and people aren't using it!"
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
20 months ago
Thanks, I'll remember to turn it back off after upgrading. I wish they had more granular permissions - I don't want it on in messages or mail, but don't mind it in Siri.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)