In the latest update for its devices, specifically the iOS 27.2 system, Apple has introduced a new setting allowing users to exclude specific apps from being accessed via the smart Siri assistant (Siri AI). This change comes in direct response to demands raised by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) as part of its campaign to protect encrypted content during the current year.
Privacy Concerns and Encrypted Content
The primary concern for the EFF centered around how modern on-device AI features interact with end-to-end encrypted content, especially in secure messaging apps. Many AI functions require cloud processing, and despite existing privacy protection measures, secure messaging content could leave the user's device without their clear knowledge, altering the privacy considerations associated with these tools.
In an ideal system, a technical barrier is assumed to exist ensuring that data from certain apps never leaves the user's device. The campaign had previously demanded granting the user the ability to inform the operating system not to allow AI to access a specific app, even if this requires forgoing some features, in a clear and direct manner that contrasts with the complexities of previous control tools in Apple and Google systems.
Steps to Enable App Exclusion Feature in iOS 27.2
After installing the new update, users can now control the privacy of their apps through the following steps:
- Open via: Settings > Siri > Excluded Apps.
- Tap the Add Apps option and select the apps you want to block from the AI.
Excluding any app results in losing some associated features; for example, when excluding the default Messages app, Siri AI will not be able to read messages or reply on behalf of the user, and the onscreen awareness feature will not work. The same applies to other messaging apps like Signal, where enabling the block means the assistant will not be able to extract any information from the app.
What Practically Changes on the Android System?
On the Android platform, some privacy control options for the Google assistant (Gemini) are available, but they remain less direct compared to Apple's solution and lack the per-app screen context blocking feature. Users can review the permissions of connected apps by opening the Gemini app, then going to the user profile, followed by Personal Intelligence > Connected Apps to revoke permissions for unwanted apps. Although this approach is optional, it does not completely prevent the reading of notifications or screen data unless device control and screen context options are manually disabled.
Prospects of Required Privacy
Rights organizations view Apple's step as a true understanding of users' desire to impose stronger control over their data, but they aspire to expand the scope of protection to allow the use of AI features processed exclusively on the local device (On-Device), similar to what Samsung offered in Galaxy AI technologies, emphasizing the necessity for all operating systems to adopt similar privacy measures.