Apple Intelligence launched in beta a few months ago, providing iPhone 16 and 15 Pro users with system-level AI tools. One of the controversial perks included with this AI suite is a notification summary feature that works across Apple and third-party apps. When enabled, the system scans long alerts and notification stacks and provides one-line summaries that encompass their gist. Expectedly, the feature doesn’t always provide accurate results, so Apple will address user concerns via a future software update.
Last month, the BBC published an article highlighting how Apple’s false AI notification summaries could impact the outlet’s credibility. On multiple occasions, iOS has generated inaccurate headlines based on push notifications sent by the BBC app. Apple has now responded to these complaints and provided Ars Technica with the following statement:
Apple Intelligence is designed to help users get everyday tasks done faster and more easily. This includes optional notification summaries, which provide users who choose to opt in a way to briefly view information from apps and tap into the full details whenever they choose. These are identified by a summarization icon, and the original content is a quick tap away. Apple Intelligence features are in beta and we are continuously making improvements with the help of user feedback. A software update in the coming weeks will further clarify when the text being displayed is summarization provided by Apple Intelligence. We encourage users to report a concern if they view an unexpected notification summary.
Right now, when Apple delivers a notification summary, it marks it with a subtle icon. Based on the company’s statement, a future iOS version will presumably make the icon more prominent. Or perhaps it will display a warning signifying that the content is AI-generated. It’s unclear when exactly this update will arrive, but it could be bundled with iOS 18.3, as the version is also expected to launch in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, if you’re unhappy with Apple Intelligence’s notification summary tool, you can deactivate it in the Settings app. The system lets you turn it off entirely or for individual apps. So, for example, you could leave it on for messaging services but denylist news apps.