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Apple Intelligence Now Requires Nearly Double the iPhone Storage

(Friday January 03, 2025 @05:20PM (BeauHD) from the would-you-look-at-that dept.)


Apple Intelligence now [1]requires 7GB of free storage per device , nearly doubling the original 4GB requirement from iOS 18.1. This is a result of new AI features like Genmoji, ChatGPT in Siri, and Image Playground. With further updates expected, storage demands could rise to 10GB per device. 9to5Mac reports:

> Per Apple's [2]website , Apple Intelligence now requires 7GB of free storage. The same 7GB number applies whether you're using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. But it also, since each product does its own on-device processing, adds up for multi-device use. If you want to use AI features across all three devices (which I'd assume most of us do), that's a grand total of 21GB of free space being used by Apple Intelligence. And unfortunately, if you're tight on storage, there's no way to reduce the requirement by disabling certain features.



[1] https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/03/apple-intelligence-now-requires-almost-double-iphone-storage/

[2] https://support.apple.com/en-us/121115



Re: (Score:3)

by berj ( 754323 )

Apple Intelligence is (currently) opt-in. If you don't want it (and the extra storage space needed that goes along with it) then just don't turn it on.

I'm assuming but definitely not certain if turning it off after the models have already been downloaded will free up the space. I don't have a phone that supports it so I can't test. But I do know that until you turn it on the first time, the space isn't used.

[1]https://support.apple.com/en-c... [apple.com]

No idea if/how this will change in the future.

[1] https://support.apple.com/en-ca/121115

Re: (Score:2)

by gtall ( 79522 )

They could just not turn it on. Or are you too fucking stupid to think of that.

As long as I can disable it (Score:4, Insightful)

by ugen ( 93902 )

As long as I can disable it and recover the space - all good, let them play.

Re: (Score:2)

by jhoegl ( 638955 )

Please waste by bandwidth so I can delete your junk, LLOOOOOVVEEEE YOOUUUUUU APPLLLEEEEEEEE. - Apple Users

Re: (Score:2)

by berj ( 754323 )

That's not how it works. If you don't want to download the 7GB of models then you don't have to. The only people getting this data and having it take up space on their phones are those who explicitly requested it.

Re: (Score:2)

by Fly Swatter ( 30498 )

For now.

Re: (Score:2)

by berj ( 754323 )

Currently it's the other way around: you have to explicitly enable it.

If you don't have enough free storage available... (Score:2)

by RockDoctor ( 15477 )

... it won't install?

Or, this being Apple, they'll brick your phone so you have to participate in their new data-mining effort with a new, clean device?

Is there an auto-space-filler app, which will keep your storage "full" when Apple is wanting to install down-grades, but release it for user-generated material such as photos? No, wait - that would be verboten in der Apfelreich . A developer producing such an app would be banned from the Apfelreich App Laden , probably for life.

Every story I hear about Appl

Re: (Score:2)

by berj ( 754323 )

You can like/not like, and use/not use, whatever the heck you want. I couldn't care less. But none of this works this way. Apple Intelligence isn't downloaded/installed automatically and you can opt in or out of either downloading, or installing OS updates, or both. Same goes for the actual apps installed through the App Store. Nothing need happen automatically.

Re: Smartphone. (Score:1)

by That's What She Said ( 1289344 )

But itâ(TM)s the truth!

Sounds like a reason for expandable storage... (Score:2)

by Fly Swatter ( 30498 )

If only there were something like a slot, and in that slot you could insert memory, it could be called a memory card. Sort of like on my Android Phone and Tablet.

To anyone that argues 'but but waterproof' as your excuse, that's just stupid.

I'm sure it does something... (Score:1)

by nlc ( 10289693 )

I'm sure it does something but the only difference I've noticed so far is the response "do you want me to use chat gpt to answer that?" which does sometimes answer that, sometimes satisfactorily.

Everyone seems so impatient and angry these days. I think it's because
so many people use Windows at work -- do you think you'd be Politeness
Man after working on Windows 8 hrs. or more?

-- Chip Atkinson