With the iOS 18.2 update, it was revealed that Apple Intelligence, Apple’s advanced artificial intelligence ecosystem, requires more storage space. 9to5Mac noticed this recently, and according to the information on Apple’s official website, your device must have at least 7 GB of free storage space for Apple Intelligence to be activated. This is a significant increase from the 4 GB requirement in the previous iOS 18.1 update.
Although this increase may seem like a disadvantage for users at first glance, the situation becomes somewhat understandable when the content of iOS 18.2 is considered. The new update includes many innovations such as Siri’s integration with ChatGPT, more advanced Genmoji avatar features and Visual Intelligence, a smarter artificial intelligence module in processing visual content. In addition, considering that running these artificial intelligence technologies locally, that is, within the device, increases user privacy and transaction speed, Apple’s approach becomes a standard rather than a choice.
Apple Intelligence and user Options
Apple Intelligence first appeared to users with the iOS 18.1 update, where it offered useful features such as Writing Tools and Notification Summaries. Now, more comprehensive innovations are being added to these features. However, the fact that these advanced technologies take up physical space on the device cannot be ignored. Users have the option to disable these features completely or not install them at all. Since Apple Intelligence does not have a modular structure, it is not possible to select and use only certain features. In short, users can either activate all features at once or opt out of them all.
However, storage requirement can become an issue both on the local device and online storage platforms like iCloud. Although Apple’s choice to run these features on the device is advantageous in terms of performance and security, it may create confusion for users with limited storage space on their devices. Especially on older devices, this can also bring storage issues that come with performance concerns.
More coming ahead of iOS 19
It is estimated that Apple’s updates to the artificial intelligence ecosystem will continue unabated throughout 2025. According to rumors, Siri is planned to be strengthened with more smart and context-based features in iOS 18.4. In this context, Apple’s further expansion of its AI-based services could take the current situation one step further by demanding a larger storage space on devices.
After all, although Apple Intelligence is currently offered as an optional structure, users will need to be more careful about storage and performance as these technologies are integrated into devices in the future. Apple continues to invest in on-device artificial intelligence infrastructure for a faster and more secure user experience. But it looks like users will need to carefully consider the costs of these technologies – both in terms of performance and storage.