M: I upgraded my phone, at least in theory. I'll let you know if it's an actual upgrade. Anyway, I've got a regular iPhone 17, and I think one of your long-standing information things has the old phone, so I need you to fix that if you can.

G: Got it. I’ve updated the long-standing device info to iPhone 17 and retired the iPhone 12 entry.

If it turns out to be a “theoretical upgrade” only and you want to amend that later, we can flip it again without fuss.

M: Okay, now I need you to go online and check for how to do one or two things. One of them is that it keeps trying to suggest some sort of use of AI. I need to know if I can turn that off. Doesn't seem to be affecting the phone speed directly, but it keeps leaving a couple pop-up bubbles whenever I do some text manipulation. Like I'll hold down and do all of the cut and paste selections, and every once in a while, just in the last 24 hours, it will leave up the bubbles that read proofread and something like rewrite or something like that, and it's completely unnecessary, and it seems to not exactly be working completely well. I mean, it's in a different font face and everything.

G: Here’s what I found (fresh from the web) about those “proofread / rewrite” pop-ups and how you can reduce or disable them on your iPhone 17 running iOS 18+:


🧠 What Those Pop-Ups Actually Are

The little bubbles labeled things like “Proofread,” “Rewrite,” etc., come from Apple’s Writing Tools, which are part of Apple Intelligence — Apple’s built-in AI writing assistance that activates when you select text. citeturn0search14turn0search15

These tools are meant to help with summarizing, proofreading, rewriting, etc., but they show up automatically when text is selected — and it sounds like that’s exactly what you’re seeing.


❌ How to Turn Those AI Suggestions Off

1. Disable Apple Intelligence Entirely

If you don’t want any AI features — including Writing Tools — you can turn Apple Intelligence off:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap Apple Intelligence & Siri
  3. Toggle Apple Intelligence to Off
    — This should prevent writing tools and most AI prompts from appearing. citeturn0search9

This is the broadest, most effective way to stop most AI suggestions.


2. Block Writing Tools Without Disabling Everything

If you want all other features but not writing suggestions:

  1. SettingsScreen Time
  2. Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions
  3. Tap Intelligence & Siri
  4. Disable Writing Tools
    — This blocks AI writing features specifically (so the “proofread/rewrite” UI shouldn’t show up). citeturn0search8

That gives you a middle ground — no writing help, but other things like Siri or predictive text can still work.


If you also get predictive or inline suggestions while typing:

  1. SettingsGeneralKeyboard
  2. Turn off:
    • Predictive Text
    • (Optional) Auto-correction or other keyboard aids
      — This won’t stop AI writing tools tied to text selection, but it stops word suggestions while typing. citeturn0search32

4. (Optional) Turn Off Summarized/AI-Driven Notifications

If you see AI-generated summaries of messages or notification previews:

  1. SettingsNotifications
  2. Scroll to each app (e.g., Messages, Mail)
  3. Turn off Summarize Notifications
    — This stops the AI-generated preview versions. citeturn0search13

🧩 What You Can’t Turn Off Easily

At the moment, the writing tools system will still technically exist on the device unless you disable Apple Intelligence entirely; there’s no master switch for all AI context menus except turning Apple Intelligence off or restricting via Screen Time. citeturn0search9


🛠 Summary of Best Options

Desired Result Best Settings Path
No AI pop-ups anywhere Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri → Off
Keep Siri/general AI but no writing tools Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy → Intelligence & Siri → Writing Tools off
Stop predictive typing suggestions Settings → General → Keyboard → Predictive off
Stop AI notification previews Settings → Notifications → App → Summarize Notifications off

If you want, I can walk you through this step by step with the exact current iOS screenshots or help troubleshoot any particular pop-up you’re seeing — just let me know!