Archive. This is an archive of the Apple Support Community. Discussions are being restored and soon you will be able to read and post here again.

How can I turn off summarize message in Apple Mail in macOS 27

How does one turn off "summarize message" in Apple Mail?


I have managed to disable most of the Apple Intelligence features but there is a "Summarize" button at the top right corner of every email and I haven't heard of any means to remove or disable it. I haven't used it but to be honest, I don't trust my privacy with Apple nearly as much as I did before this recent OS upgrade, so if there is a way I would like to either remove it or otherwise disable the feature.


Thank you for your time.


9 replies

Here's what worked for me to disable the "Summarize" button on my emails: Open "System settings." Scroll down to "Apple Intelligence and Siri" and toggle the "Apple intelligence" switch from on to off.

After buying my first new Apple Silicon Machine (Studio), this was driving me nuts. I shut off Siri, did all of the settings in Mail, Messages, etc. But the prompt in Mail was still there. However, I found this, and I think it's working.


All I did was change my language (I'm in the US) to Arabic. That seemed to blow it up and shut it down. Siri is now not working. On some settings pages it now says "The organization managing this Mac has disabled Siri."


Hopefully this works for you. I just figured this out, haven't rebooted or given the system time to download more files. I don't know if it will be permanent or not, but for now I'm happy.


I also noticed while trying to figure this out ... when Siri is "working" but off (ie, the language matches and it's not blown up), there is an App Access option under the Settings Siri page. Every app appears to be given access by default. When you shut off the "Show Siri Suggestions in application" under Mail/Suggestions from Mail.app, it does NOT kill the offer to summarize in the app, but the language change did.


Good Luck

2) I also see what appears to be new contextual suggestions made when I write an email. I see that although I have unchecked “Personalize Smart Replies” in Mail > Settings... > Composing.


I was going to say I don't have contextual suggestions with my situation but when I tried to reply to a second email, boom it's suggesting replies I can use. It didn't on the first. So another feature turned on despite what the settings say.


I have the exact same situation as you in settings. However, I turned the "writing assistance" off when Siri AI was an option, then I turned Siri off. So it's off on both levels. I like to be doubly sure in case Apple tries to turn something on again... they'll have to turn it ALL on to get it to work.


These are something both of us are dealing with so it's probably standard across macOS 27 users.


edit:


OH Wait... I just discovered a setting... To turn off the suggested replies go to Settings > Keyboard > Text Input. Click on the Edit button, then look for "Show suggested replies" and turn that toggle off. that should turn off that one issue you pointed out even if it does nothing for the original issue with the "Summarize" button.

spiers wrote:
Here's what worked for me to disable the "Summarize" button on my emails: Open "System settings." Scroll down to "Apple Intelligence and Siri" and toggle the "Apple intelligence" switch from on to off.

Those options have been removed in macOS 27.

In Mail > Settings... > Viewing: it’s possible to uncheck “Summarize Message Previews”


However, in my own experience, it does not remove the “↪ Summarize” button I still see at the top right corner of every email, even after I quite Mail and relaunch Mail. Hence the interest in this thread.

Further to my note above:


1) I should note that I have *not* turned on Siri in System Seetings > Siri. It is turned off. And yet I still see the “Summarize” button.


2) I also see what appears to be new contextual suggestions made when I write an email. I see that although I have unchecked “Personalize Smart Replies” in Mail > Settings... > Composing.


3) In System Seetings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy > Siri > there is a toggle to switch off “Writing Assistance”. But that toggle cannot be moved when Siri is *not* turned on. I would assume “Writing Assistance” to be *not* operational when Siri is *not* turned on.

spiers wrote:
Here's what worked for me to disable the "Summarize" button on my emails: Open "System settings." Scroll down to "Apple Intelligence and Siri" and toggle the "Apple intelligence" switch from on to off.

Did that work for you in macOS 27 Golden Gate? That's the version of macOS being discussed here, not older versions.

By default, changing the Siri language on my Mac also changed it on my iPhone and iPad. You can prevent that from happening on those devices by going into

Settings

Your name/account

under Saved to iCloud hit “See All”

Change Siri to Off


It was weird when I got in my car and it was giving me directions in Arabic.



Just to clarify ... I changed the language under Settings Siri to Arabic.