- Apple Intelligence needs 7 GB now, instead of 4 GB
- The increase is due to new features in iOS 18.2
- Expect Requirements to Increase Even Further
Over the last year, we’ve heard a lot about Apple’s intelligence and how it will transform the way we use our Apple devices, and it looks like AI technology will take up more internal storage on those devices as well.
As discovered by 9to5Mac, the recently released iOS 18.2 update requires 7GB of free local storage to install Apple Intelligence, according to Apple’s website. When AI features started appearing in iOS 18.1, the requirement was 4GB.
It’s no surprise that the iOS 18.2 update requires a lot more space on your device: it includes a host of new AI tricks, including ChatGPT integration with smart assistant Siri, Genmoji, and Visual Intelligence.
The first batch of Apple Intelligence features that appeared with iOS 18.1 in October included writing tools and notification summaries. These updates will continue to roll out gradually as we move towards iOS 19 next year.
More to come
Apple likes as much of its AI as possible to run locally: not relying on the cloud means faster response times and greater user privacy. However, as we are seeing now, there is a cost in terms of storage space.
You can turn off Apple Intelligence if you want – the setting is in Apple Intelligence and Siri on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You can also choose not to install it in the first place, because it is not enabled by default on these devices.
However, you can’t choose which AI features you want – it’s all or nothing. If you’re running out of storage space on your device, you might want to think twice before enabling Apple Intelligence (or purchasing more iCloud storage, of course).
And Apple Intelligence is likely to demand even more storage space as we move toward 2025: iOS 18.4 is expected to bring with it a host of new AI updates, including smarter features for Siri.
