How to Make Sure Your iPhone Only Uses On-Device AI

What "Cloud AI" Means on iPhone

"Cloud AI" on iPhone refers to features that process data on remote servers: Siri with ChatGPT integration, Private Cloud Compute for complex Apple Intelligence queries, third-party AI apps that send data to their servers.

To minimize cloud AI processing: Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri → disable "ChatGPT" integration. This keeps Apple Intelligence processing on-device for features that support it. Complex queries simply won't work (rather than routing to the cloud).

Private Cloud Compute: Apple's design prevents even Apple employees from accessing data processed there. The privacy model is different from "your data is not sent" — it's "your data is processed without anyone being able to see it."

Nemos takes a simpler approach: AI on-device by default, cloud AI only if you turn it on. OCR and search run on-device; transcription too, with “Transcribe on this device” on. For users who want zero-cloud AI, Nemos is designed for this posture by default.

Related guides

• Private AI note-taking guide
• On-device vs cloud AI
• Is Apple Intelligence private?

Where Nemos fits

Nemos is a private second brain for iPhone that solves the "I saved it somewhere" problem. Every screenshot, voice memo, PDF, and link you save gets OCR'd, transcribed, and indexed on-device using Apple Foundation Models. Find anything by typing one word. Free. Apple-only. Free on the App Store.