Block Apple Intelligence in macOS 15.3

Introduction

With macOS 15.3, Apple Intelligence is enabled by default.

If you’re not interested in beta-testing for free, there is a simple workaround to prevent it from being opt-out (at least for now).

How to Disable Apple Intelligence

1. Open System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri.
2. Enable Siri (you can’t change the language without enabling Siri first).
3. Change the Siri language to something other than your primary language. Some regional variations (e.g., English (UK)) may work, but for extra safety, I chose Korean.
4. (Optional) Disable Siri again if you don’t use it.

After doing this, you should see a message saying:

Apple Intelligence is not available when Siri is set to Korean.

Perfect. Time to update from 15.2.

Bonus

You can also use the Content & Privacy settings to disable other Apple Intelligence features for good measure. This approach, however, enables content restrictions, so it might be not suitable for everyone.

1. Open System Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy.
2. Enable Content & Privacy.
3. Open Intelligence & Siri.
4. Turn all Apple Intelligence settings off:
   • Image Creation
   • Writing Tools
   • ChatGPT Extension