You Think You Know My Apple Intelligence Problem? Think Again.

Apple made big promises when it introduced Apple Intelligence, but so far, the company has failed to live up to those expectations. Despite some progress, it feels like what has been achieved doesn’t match the hype. What’s more frustrating, however, is not even the lack of major breakthroughs—it’s the fact that the Apple Intelligence problem seems to be getting more complex, rather than improving.

It’s disappointing, especially considering how much potential this technology had to change the way we interact with our devices. The gap between what was promised and what has been delivered is hard to ignore, leaving many of us wondering where Apple plans to go from here.

Apple Intelligence Takes Up Too Much Storage, Even with Minimal Use

I never really delete old photos from my phone (though I probably should) and end up downloading too many random apps, almost as if I had unlimited storage. As a result, I’m always running low on space.

Unfortunately, Apple Intelligence has made this storage problem even worse. When it first launched with iOS 18.1, it required at least 4GB of free storage to download. But despite Apple’s promises, the initial version of Apple Intelligence only had limited features, like the Clean Up tool and the widely debated Notification Summaries.

When iOS 18.2 was released, new features like ChatGPT integration with Siri, Image Playground, and Genmoji were added. However, these updates came at a cost. The storage requirement nearly doubled from 4GB to 7GB.

To see how much storage Apple Intelligence is using, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage (or iPad Storage on iPads, and Storage on Macs). Scroll down, tap iOS/iPadOS/macOS, and you’ll see how much space Apple Intelligence is consuming.

Currently, Apple Intelligence is taking up 5.52GB on my iPhone, 3.12GB on my iPad, and 4.78GB on my Mac. What’s odd is that the storage usage varies greatly across devices.

For instance, one Reddit user shared that Apple Intelligence was using 9.18GB on their iPhone. Another person with the new budget iPhone 16e (128GB storage) noticed Apple Intelligence was taking up 8GB, which is about 6.25% of their total storage.

To make things worse, you’ll also notice how much storage the system itself uses. On my iPhone, the iOS storage takes up 11.93GB. If the iPhone 16e has a similar system storage, that brings the total to about 19.93GB—almost 15.6% of the device’s storage!

I wouldn’t mind Apple Intelligence taking up this much storage if it was actually useful. While I enjoy creating custom emojis (though Genmoji isn’t great) and appreciate the updated Siri, the current Apple Intelligence features don’t justify sacrificing so much storage. I’d rather install a few more random apps or keep my memories without needing to buy more iCloud storage.

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No Easy Way to Free Up Storage on Your Device

Unfortunately, if you’ve already enabled Apple Intelligence on your Apple device, turning it off won’t necessarily free up much storage. I’ve disabled it before, but it still took up the same amount of space. Many users on Reddit have shared similar experiences, mentioning that even after disabling Apple Intelligence from the start, it still consumed storage.

Apple’s support page states that the on-device models “may” be removed if you disable Apple Intelligence. This means Apple decides whether to give you back that storage space.

In the past, a factory reset could help fix this, but even that might not work anymore. Apple Intelligence is enabled by default in iOS 18.3 and later versions, so storage will be used as soon as it’s turned on.

At the end of the day, Apple is going to be Apple. I just wish the massive storage usage was at least worth it! There’s only one feature of Apple Intelligence that I actually use, and even that doesn’t justify taking up so much storage. While turning it off might not free up space, it could improve your iPhone’s battery life.

FAQ

What is Apple Intelligence and how does it work?
Apple Intelligence is a suite of features introduced by Apple that aims to improve the user experience on Apple devices by integrating AI-driven tools like Siri, Clean Up tools, and more. It’s designed to provide smarter interactions and streamline tasks on your device.

Why does Apple Intelligence take up so much storage?
Apple Intelligence consumes significant storage due to the on-device models and AI tools it uses. As new features like ChatGPT integration and Image Playground are added, the storage requirement increases, which is why it can take up several gigabytes of space on your device.

Can I free up storage by turning off Apple Intelligence?
Turning off Apple Intelligence doesn’t seem to free up much storage. Many users have reported that even after disabling it, the storage consumption remains the same. Apple’s support page mentions that certain data may still remain on the device, and whether storage is freed up depends on Apple’s decision.

How much storage does Apple Intelligence use on different devices?
The storage consumption varies across devices. On my iPhone, Apple Intelligence uses 5.52GB, on my iPad it uses 3.12GB, and on my Mac it takes up 4.78GB. Some users have reported even higher storage use, such as 9.18GB on an iPhone.

What can I do if I’m running out of storage due to Apple Intelligence?
If Apple Intelligence is using too much storage, you could try disabling it, though this might not help reduce storage usage. If you’re still facing issues, you might consider using alternatives to manage your storage, like factory resetting the device, though that may not always work with newer versions like iOS 18.3 and later. You could also improve battery life by disabling Apple Intelligence even if it doesn’t free up storage.