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Apple launched iOS 26 in September 2025, along with a slew of updates for the mobile operating system, while also quietly removing AI summaries. This feature originally launched with the iOS 18.1 update in October 2024, but Apple removed it for news and entertainment apps in January the following year. That might have had something to do with it being one of the most hated features in iOS 18, but it was more likely because of how wildly inaccurate the summaries were — specifically with news headlines. One summary, according to BBC News, said that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was arrested. He, in fact, was not.
One would think that with the return of AI-generated news and entertainment summaries, they would be more accurate, but it's back, and it comes with a nifty little warning that reads, "Summarization may change the meaning of the original headline. Verify Information." This can be found after you update to iOS 26, when it asks for permissions. The warning doubles up with a statement at the bottom of the screen that reads, "This is a beta feature. Summaries may contain errors." Apple hasn't said precisely what changes it has made to the feature, but it should make fewer mistakes.
Apple isn't the only ones trying out AI summaries
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Apple isn't the only brand injecting AI into its phones. Google announced that it's bringing AI-generated summaries to its Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 phones (except the Pixel 9a) in its November 2025 "Pixel Drop," which dropped on November 11. However, Google is being a little more cautious than Apple, as the only AI summaries users will receive will be for text messages. More specifically, long text messages and group chats – which can be helpful if you're in a group chat and haven't been able to keep up with the discussion.
If you own a Google Pixel 9 and want to test the waters with AI summaries:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Notifications.
- Tap Notification Summaries.
- Toggle them on (off is the default).
If you have an iPhone model that supports Apple Intelligence, and you're morally opposed to AI or would simply prefer not to receive notifications that have a chance of being inaccurate, there is a way to turn off Apple's AI-generated summary notifications.
- Start by opening up Settings.
- Tap on Notifications.
- Tap Summarize Notifications.
- From there, you'll tap on the tab to toggle Summarize Notifications off.
Of course, if you ever decide you want those summaries on again, you'll just have to repeat the steps, as well as choose which categories you'll get summaries for.
