The IT Nerd

The release candidate of iOS 18.3 hit the streets today. Now a release candidate is basically a beta version of a piece of software that is considered to be stable enough that it may be released to the public. But the person who makes the software wants to make sure that there are no issues of note before it gets released. Thus they put out a release candidate. If it is stable, that’s the version that the public will get. In any case, people who have seen the release candidate of iOS 18.3 have noted that in the release notes for this version, there’s this text:

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. 

This is the single dumbest thing that Apple has done in a very long time. I say that because you should be able to opt into things rather than be forced to opt out. And with something like Apple Intelligence which is AI by another name, users shouldn’t be forced into running it if they are not comfortable with the implications of running AI on their devices. I say devices because I have seen reports of Apple Intelligence being turned on by default when software updates for Macs appear. What isn’t clear is what happens to users who had turned Apple Intelligence on and then turned it off. Does it get turned back on? That’s pretty bad if that’s the case. What’s clear is that Apple has decided to force Apple Intelligence on its user base whether they want it or not. Which seems so un-Apple like.

Shame on you Apple.

This entry was posted on January 22, 2025 at 8:51 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Apple. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.