There is no single switch that removes artificial-intelligence features from every app or device. Choose the control that matches your goal: disable a feature, stop conversations being used to improve models, prevent history or memory, disconnect personal data, or remove a connected assistant such as ChatGPT from Siri. The steps below cover the controls documented for ChatGPT, Gemini, Apple Intelligence and Siri, and personal-account Copilot, with the version, account and regional limits that determine whether a menu is available.
Decide what you want to turn off
People often use “turn off AI” to describe different privacy or usability changes. A feature switch can hide summaries or suggestions while leaving chat history untouched. A training opt-out can stop new conversations being used to improve a model but leave those conversations visible in your account. Disabling personalization can stop an assistant from consulting connected services without disabling the assistant itself.
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| Goal | What changes | What normally remains | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disable a feature | A specific summary, suggestion, assistant or extension stops running. | Other AI tools and any existing data remain available. | One feature, app or device. |
| Stop model-improvement use | New conversations are excluded from the provider’s model-improvement process, where the provider documents that choice. | Saved chats can remain in history; this is not an account deletion. | Usually an account preference, or a browser preference when signed out. |
| Use a non-history mode | A particular conversation is kept out of normal history and memory under the provider’s temporary-chat rules. | Short-term safety or service retention may still occur. | One conversation or session. |
| Remove personalization or memory | The assistant stops using selected memories or connected services to tailor responses. | The assistant can still answer from its general model and, in some services, public information. | Account, memory store or connected app. |
| Disconnect a linked assistant | A service such as ChatGPT is no longer called by Siri or another host assistant. | The host assistant and its other features continue to work. | Device integration. |
| Restrict an entire workspace | An administrator may control availability or retention for work or school accounts. | Personal-account instructions may not apply. | Organization or managed device. |
Start by identifying the row that describes your concern. If you need both a feature disabled and your data excluded from training, make both changes; one setting does not automatically perform the other.
Check these conditions before changing a setting
- Account type: Personal, signed-out, work and school accounts can expose different controls. Administrators may lock or replace the menus.
- Device and app version: A phone app, web app, desktop client and browser sidebar may use different labels. A vendor can move a control after an update.
- Region and language: Apple Intelligence and some Gemini capabilities depend on supported hardware, language and country.
- Scope: Decide whether the change must follow your account to other devices or apply only to the current phone, browser or chat.
- Existing data: Turning off a future-use switch does not necessarily delete old chats, memories, connected-app material or cached notifications.
After saving a change, close and reopen the app, then test the exact behavior you wanted to stop. If it still appears, look for a second control rather than assuming the first switch failed.
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ChatGPT: stop training use, use Temporary Chat, or remove the Siri connection
OpenAI documents separate controls for model-improvement use, temporary conversations and Apple Intelligence integration. The full data-control explanation is at OpenAI’s ChatGPT data-controls guide.
Stop new chats being used to improve models
- On the web: Open ChatGPT, go to Settings, choose Data controls, switch off Improve the model for everyone, and select Done.
- On iPhone or Android: Open the sidebar, tap your profile, choose Settings and then Data controls. Switch off Improve the model for everyone.
For a signed-in account, this preference applies across devices. When you are signed out, OpenAI stores the preference in that browser instead. New chats are not used for model training after the switch is off, but chats already saved in your history remain there until you delete them. This is a training-use choice, not a history purge and not a shutdown of ChatGPT.
Start a Temporary Chat when you need a single private session
- Before entering a prompt, choose Temporary Chat in the chat composer or conversation-mode selector.
- Confirm that the temporary indicator is active, then begin the conversation.
- Do not save the conversation if you want it to remain temporary. OpenAI says a saved temporary chat becomes a regular chat and follows normal account settings.
OpenAI says Temporary Chats do not appear in history, do not create or update memories, and are not used to improve models while they are temporary. The company may retain them for up to 30 days for safety purposes, so “temporary” does not mean instant deletion from every system.
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Turn off ChatGPT inside Apple Intelligence and Siri
- On a supported iPhone, open Settings.
- Tap Apple Intelligence & Siri, then ChatGPT.
- Turn ChatGPT off.
- To stop Siri from suggesting the connection, also turn off Setup Prompts.
This removes the ChatGPT extension from Siri; it does not disable the ChatGPT app or Apple’s other intelligence features. Menu wording can vary with the installed operating-system version. OpenAI’s setup guidance is at the ChatGPT with Apple Intelligence help page.
If a ChatGPT control appears to have done nothing
- Check that you changed the same account you use on the other device. A signed-out browser has its own stored preference.
- Separate the three questions: training use, history and Siri integration. Each has its own control.
- Delete old chats separately if your aim is removal from history; switching off model improvement does not perform that deletion.
Gemini: disable activity storage or disconnect connected apps
Gemini separates activity retention, personalization and connected-app access. Google’s instructions for activity are in Gemini Apps Activity help; connected-app controls are described at Gemini Connected Apps help.
Turn off Keep Activity in the Gemini app
- Open the Gemini app and tap your profile picture.
- Choose Gemini Apps Activity.
- Tap the control showing that activity is On.
- Select Turn off or Turn off and delete activity, depending on whether you also want the available activity removed.
On the Gemini web app, open Settings & help, then choose Activity and change the same setting. Google says conversations may still be retained for up to 72 hours to provide the service and process feedback after Keep Activity is turned off. That short-term retention does not appear in Gemini Apps Activity.
Turning off Keep Activity does not disable every Gemini capability. It changes the activity setting; the assistant can still be available, and other controls may continue to operate. Work and school users may find that an administrator controls this setting.
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- In Gemini, open Settings & help.
- Choose Personal Intelligence, then Connected Apps.
- Switch off the service you do not want Gemini to use, such as Google Photos, Workspace, Search services or YouTube when that option is offered.
On mobile, the path is Profile > Personal Intelligence > Connected Apps. Disconnecting a service prevents that connection from personalizing Gemini, but it does not erase information that was already present in earlier chats. Google also notes that public information from some Google services can still be used. Changes involving deleted or updated connected-app content can take days to affect the Gemini experience.
Keep the settings separate
Gemini activity, connected apps, memory, individual app permissions and the Gemini assistant are different controls. Turning off one should not be described as disabling Gemini everywhere. Review each category that matches your purpose, and use the menus currently shown for your account because availability and labels can change.
Apple Intelligence and Siri on iPhone
Apple’s iPhone guide lists individual switches rather than a single master control. The current guide, including its iOS 27 context, is at Apple’s iPhone user guide. Features depend on device, supported language, region and software version, so a path shown on a newer iPhone may not exist on an older release.
Disable Siri’s newer AI behavior
- Open Settings and tap Siri.
- In the iOS 27 interface, turn off the Siri AI option.
- Choose the option to use Siri Classic when it is offered.
The exact label and location can differ outside the iOS 27 interface. If you do not see the option, check the installed iOS version, language and region before assuming the feature is unavailable or permanently enabled.
Turn off individual Apple Intelligence features
Use the switches shown on your iPhone for the features you do not want. Apple’s guide identifies controls for:
- Messages summaries and smart replies
- Mail summaries and smart replies
- Notification summaries
- Voicemail suggestions
- Call context cards
- Journal writing prompts
These switches are independent. Disabling notification summaries, for example, does not automatically disable writing prompts or call context cards. Some devices also expose Screen Time restrictions for limiting access to supported intelligence features.
Remove ChatGPT from Siri without disabling Apple Intelligence
- Open Settings.
- Choose Apple Intelligence & Siri, then ChatGPT.
- Turn ChatGPT off.
- Turn off Setup Prompts if you also want to suppress Siri’s suggestions to use it.
This is a separate extension control. Apple’s summaries, smart replies and other supported features can remain active unless you disable their individual switches.
When an Apple switch is missing
- Verify that the iPhone model supports the feature and that the required language and region are selected.
- Install the iOS release appropriate for your device; menus differ between releases.
- Check Screen Time or management restrictions if the phone belongs to a family, school or employer.
Microsoft Copilot: privacy controls depend on the app version and account
Microsoft’s documented privacy controls cover personalization and memory, model training, personalized advertising and conversation history for personal accounts. The reference page is Microsoft’s Copilot privacy-controls guide.
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Know which Copilot the page describes
Microsoft states that the page applies to the older Copilot app version. An updated web, desktop and mobile app became available on August 18, 2026. The documented page does not apply to work or school Microsoft 365 Copilot, where organizational policies govern the experience. Treat its labels and paths as version-specific, and open the current app’s privacy page before making a change.
Controls you can look for in a personal account
- Personalization and memory: limits the use of remembered information to tailor responses.
- Model training: controls whether eligible conversations can be used to improve models.
- Personalized ads: changes advertising personalization rather than turning Copilot off.
- Conversation history: provides history and deletion controls.
Microsoft describes different menus for the web, Windows and macOS apps, mobile apps and the Edge Sidebar. Because those paths vary by client and the app has changed, do not rely on a Windows path while using the web version. Open the privacy or settings area in the client you actually use, confirm the account shown, and read the scope beside each switch.
History retention and deletion
The older-app documentation describes conversation history being retained for 18 months while also providing deletion controls. That duration is a product-policy description for that version, not a guarantee for every current Copilot client. If you need a particular conversation removed, use the deletion control rather than relying only on a training or advertising preference.
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| Service | Documented action | Primary effect | Important remainder or limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Settings > Data controls > Improve the model for everyone off | New chats are excluded from model training. | Saved chats remain in history; signed-in preference follows the account, while signed-out preference is browser-specific. |
| ChatGPT | Temporary Chat | No history or memory creation for that temporary conversation and no model-improvement use while temporary. | Safety retention may last up to 30 days; saving converts it to a regular chat. |
| Gemini | Gemini Apps Activity off | Stops normal activity storage under that setting. | Google may retain conversations up to 72 hours for service and feedback; Gemini itself remains available. |
| Gemini | Personal Intelligence > Connected Apps off | Stops the selected connection from personalizing Gemini. | Earlier-chat information is not removed automatically; some public service information can still be used, and updates may take days. |
| Apple Intelligence | Individual feature switches or Siri Classic | Disables selected summaries, suggestions, prompts or newer Siri behavior. | Availability depends on device, software, language and region; other switches remain independent. |
| Apple Intelligence | Apple Intelligence & Siri > ChatGPT off | Removes the ChatGPT extension from Siri. | It does not disable the ChatGPT app or Apple’s other intelligence features. |
| Copilot | Personal-account privacy controls | Can address memory, training, ads and history separately. | Menus differ by client; the cited page covers an older app and excludes work or school Microsoft 365 Copilot. |
Troubleshoot when AI still appears
The assistant still answers after you turned off a privacy option
A privacy option usually changes data handling, not product availability. Recheck whether you intended to disable the assistant itself, then find the feature or integration switch for that app or device.
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Existing notifications, generated summaries or cached content may remain until dismissed or refreshed. Restart the app and inspect the specific feature’s switch. On iPhone, review each Apple Intelligence feature separately instead of checking only Siri.
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The menu is missing
Confirm the client, account type, software version, region and language. Work or school administrators can replace personal settings. A vendor may also be rolling out a redesigned menu, so use the current help link for the product and compare the account shown in the settings screen.
Old information still influences responses
Disconnecting a connected app prevents future personalization from that connection but does not necessarily remove material already present in prior chats. Use the service’s history, memory or deletion controls for that separate task.
You changed a setting on one device but not another
Some preferences follow a signed-in account; others are stored only in a browser or device integration. Verify the account and repeat the change in the client where the behavior occurs. Siri’s ChatGPT extension, for example, is controlled on the iPhone even if you also use ChatGPT on the web.
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A practical shutdown checklist
- Write down the exact behavior you want to stop: a feature, data retention, model training, personalization, advertising or a connected assistant.
- Identify the product, client, account type, device, operating-system version and region.
- Change the matching control using the product-specific path above.
- Check for a second setting covering history, memory, connected apps or suggestions.
- Delete existing chats or memories separately if removal is part of your goal.
- Close and reopen the app, then run a simple test that would have triggered the feature.
- Record the date and setting name so you can recheck it after an app or operating-system update.
These steps avoid the most common mistake: treating a training opt-out, a history deletion, a personalization change and a feature shutdown as if they were the same operation.
Bottom line
Turn off the narrow control that matches your concern, then verify the other independent settings. ChatGPT separates model-improvement use, Temporary Chat and the Siri extension; Gemini separates activity from connected-app personalization; Apple exposes individual Intelligence and Siri switches; and Copilot’s controls vary by client, account and app generation. Because these menus change with software, region and administrator policy, confirm the labels on your own device when you make the change.
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