How to Reclaim Your Battery and Privacy by Disabling Apple Intelligence

Jeff Carlson writes about mobile technology for CNET. He is also the author of dozens of how-to books covering a wide spectrum ranging from Apple devices and cameras to photo editing software and PalmPilots. He drinks a lot of coffee in Seattle.

Apple's decision to let Google's Gemini take over the heavy lifting for Siri marks a major shift for a company that usually insists on doing everything itself. While the marketing promised a revolutionary leap, the actual experience often feels like your phone is just trying too hard with unhelpful summaries and bizarre AI-generated art. If you feel like your device has become more cluttered with features you never asked for, you don't have to wait for Apple to "fix" it. You can just turn it off!