Apple has temporarily halted its AI-powered notification summaries for news and entertainment apps after receiving criticism for delivering inaccurate alerts. In response, the tech giant is making a series of changes to improve the transparency and functionality of this feature before it rolls out again in the future.
As part of the latest developer previews for iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3, Apple has completely disabled notification summaries for news and entertainment applications. The company plans to refine the system and reintroduce the feature in an upcoming update. This move follows a high-profile error reported by the BBC, where a notification summary misrepresented a story, falsely stating that Luigi Mangione—who faces charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson—had taken his own life.
In addition to temporarily suspending AI notification summaries for specific app categories, Apple is implementing formatting changes to make these alerts more recognizable. Notification summaries will now be stylized in italics, helping users differentiate them from standard notifications. Furthermore, users will gain more control by being able to disable summaries for individual apps directly from the Lock Screen.
Apple is also ramping up its efforts to ensure users understand the experimental nature of the feature. When enabling notification summaries, users will now see a note in the Settings app that explicitly states the feature is in beta and may produce errors. This added label aims to set clearer expectations while the system evolves.
Last week, Apple had already hinted at forthcoming updates to bring more clarity to the origins of content displayed in notification summaries. At the time, there was speculation about whether this would involve new labels or badges identifying AI-generated text. While no such labels are present yet, these recent changes suggest Apple is moving steadily toward its broader goal of improving transparency for its AI-driven tools.
A public beta for the updated system is expected to launch next week, but the official release date for iOS 18.3 remains uncertain. Apple users and developers alike are awaiting further announcements as the company works to regain trust in this feature.
