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iOS Notification Summaries Lost in Translation? How to Turn Them Off

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With iOS 18.1, Apple has introduced AI-powered notification summarization across all apps, which means your iPhone will automatically condense your alerts to show just the key details. The feature aims to reduce notification overload, but it doesn't always work as advertised. Keep reading to learn how to manage the feature.

apple-intelligence-fails.jpeg
Image credits: r/AppleIntelligenceFail​

Powered by Apple Intelligence, the new summarization feature works by analyzing notification content and creating more concise versions that highlight the most important information. By default, it's enabled for compatible apps after you complete the initial setup process in iOS 18.1.

While Apple's AI summaries offer convenience, they've also produced some unexpectedly funny results. The system's struggle with emotional context and tone detection has led to some particularly amusing recap fails. As recorded in places like the subreddit r/AppleIntelligenceFail, when the algorithm misinterprets sarcasm, combines unrelated notifications, or fails to grasp logic, the results can be surprisingly entertaining (or not, depending on your sense of humor).

Customize or Disable Notification Summaries

Whether you've been tickled or confused by summaries, or they just don't appeal to your workflow, fortunately you can disable the feature entirely or customize which apps use the feature. This gives you complete control over how your notifications appear on the Lock Screen and in Notification Center on your iPhone.
  1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap Notifications.
  3. Tap Summarize Previews.
  4. Toggle off the switch at the top to completely disable Summarize Previews. Alternatively, toggle off the switches for individual apps only.
turn-off-notification-summaries.jpg


Things to Know About Notification Summaries

  • Turning off summarization doesn't affect other notification settings like grouping or Focus modes.
  • The feature only works on devices that support Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, M-series iPads, iPad mini 7, and Macs with Apple silicon).
  • Disabling summaries returns notifications to their standard format immediately.
  • You can re-enable summarization at any time through Settings.
Keep in mind that notification summaries are separate from the Notification Summary feature that delivers scheduled batches of notifications at specific times. While they may seem similar, they serve different purposes in helping you manage your notifications more effectively.

Article Link: iOS Notification Summaries Lost in Translation? How to Turn Them Off
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/ios-turn-off-notification-summaries/
  • Haha
Reactions: August West, antiprotest and iLLUMI
The hard part with AI isn't to get it working most of the time. The hard part is to eliminate those last 10% of cases it crashes and burns. Winning the trust of people to the point that they actually rely on features is very difficult. As it is, I'd always check myself, so I might just as well turn the feature off completely.
 
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Reactions: dave559, arlomedia, BlairMALL and 2 others
Could be useful creative feature, text yourself a story idea that makes no sense, ask for a summary and voila instant new idea, bit like the cut up paper method William S. Burroughs used for his novel The Naked Lunch
 
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Reactions: Apple247, BlairMALL and diego.caraballo
Focus Modes, Notification Summaries, AI summaries, …. And still the information you want gets buried.

Apple’s approach is too complex and not smart enough.
 
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Reactions: klasma, MilaM and Mr_Ed
It's sad how late Apple was to AI, and how woefully inadequate it is. Apple's been spinning their wheels software-wise for years now. The brain drain in Cupertino must be profound.
 
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Reactions: Apple247
Apple: “Here’s an awesome new feature you didn’t ask for.”
MR: “Here’s how you turn that awesome new feature off.”
Most of the rest of us: “Thanks! I needed that!”

I’ve been holding out on moving to iOS 18 until some of the AI nonsense works itself out. I don’t want any of it, and there is nothing compelling to me about other stuff in 18, so I guess I’ll continue to wait.
 
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Reactions: RealE, Tim Apple’s Glasses, dave559 and 9 others
Mr_Ed said:
Apple: “Here’s an awesome new feature you didn’t ask for.”
MR: “Here’s how you turn that awesome new feature off.”
Most of the rest of us: “Thanks! I needed that!”

I’ve been holding out on moving to iOS 18 until some of the AI nonsense works itself out. I don’t want any of it, and there is nothing compelling to me about other stuff in 18, so I guess I’ll continue to wait.
Click to expand...
All AI stuff can be disabled by one toggle in the settings. I tried to use it for two month but found it useless and disabled it. The dedicated ChatGPT app is enough for me.
 
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Reactions: CarAnalogy and sparepillow
“Germansuolex’s time in US Congress is coming to an end” was one of my summaries.

It’s just not very good. Sometimes it’s bang-on, but those are more rare than the norm.

Apple Intelligence has been very underwhelming. Even searching for a setting in the settings app stinks.

It’s in beta, I get it… but they’re also not really advertising it as a beta feature, but a major selling point. Siri still stinks - in fact, it seems to be getting worse rather than better. We’ll see what 18.2 brings, but this seems more like something that’s going to take a half-decade to improve, and if it goes in the trajectory of Siri, maybe longer.
 
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Reactions: Tim Apple’s Glasses and CarAnalogy
brofkand said:
It's sad how late Apple was to AI, and how woefully inadequate it is. Apple's been spinning their wheels software-wise for years now. The brain drain in Cupertino must be profound.
Click to expand...
The trough of disillusionment is staring up at you and waiting......
 
I was curious what these Apple Intelligence summaries are like, so I kept this feature turned on, but so far, I haven't noticed anything different from regular summaries. What am I doing wrong?
 
Night Spring said:
I was curious what these Apple Intelligence summaries are like, so I kept this feature turned on, but so far, I haven't noticed anything different from regular summaries. What am I doing wrong?
Click to expand...

Old "summaries" were not a summary at all, but just the start of the notification. The new "summary" attempts to summarize the entire message. It is 99% incorrect based on my experience running the beta the last few months.
 
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