iOS 26 AI Notification Summaries: What They Are and How to Use or Turn Them Off
If you're testing the iOS 26 public beta and using a compatible Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, you may have seen a new feature called AI notification summaries. These summaries help by showing quick, AI-generated overviews of notifications from apps — especially in the News & Entertainment category.
But this feature hasn’t come without controversy. Apple removed it earlier in the year after media outlets like the BBC reported inaccurate and misleading headlines. Now, with the first public beta of iOS 26, Apple has brought the feature back — this time, with visible warnings about possible errors.
Let’s look at what this feature does, the warnings you should know about, and how you can turn it on or off.
What Are iOS 26 AI Notification Summaries?
iOS 26 AI notification summaries use Apple Intelligence to scan notifications from supported apps and summarize the content. Instead of showing a full alert from a news app or entertainment service, Apple displays a short summary that aims to save time and reduce clutter.
For example, if CNN, BBC News, or another app sends a headline like “Breaking: Major Event Happens in the U.S.”, the summary might condense this to something shorter or simplified.
However, the problem is that the summary might change the original meaning. That’s why Apple has added warnings in the new beta.
Why Were They Removed Before?
Back in January, Apple quietly disabled the AI notification summaries for news and entertainment apps after a BBC investigation revealed that some headlines were being twisted or changed incorrectly by the AI. This created confusion and sometimes spread the wrong message.
Now that the feature is back in the iOS 26 beta, Apple has added clear messages to warn you about possible inaccuracies.
The Warning You’ll See in iOS 26 Beta
After updating to the latest public beta, a splash screen appears asking if you want to use AI notification summaries. You get two options:
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Choose Notifications to Summarize
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Not Now
If you pick "Choose Notifications to Summarize", you’ll see three categories:
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News & Entertainment
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Communication & Social
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All Other Apps
When you select News & Entertainment, a red warning appears that says:
“Summarization may change the meaning of the original headline. Verify information.”
And across the bottom of the screen, there’s another warning:
“This is a beta feature. Summaries may contain errors.”
These warnings are important because it tells you that the feature might not always show accurate information — and it's your job to double-check it if needed.
How to Turn On AI Notification Summaries in iOS 26
If you're curious and want to try out the feature:
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Go to Settings
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Tap Notifications
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Tap Summarize Notifications
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Select categories you want summaries for (News & Entertainment, etc.)
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Tap Summarize Selected Notifications
That’s it! Now your iPhone will show summarized notifications using Apple Intelligence.
How to Turn Off AI Notification Summaries
If you decide you don’t like the summaries or they seem inaccurate, it’s very easy to turn them off:
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Open Settings
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Tap Notifications
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Tap Summarize Notifications
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Toggle off the “Summarize Notifications” switch
You can always come back and turn them on again. Just make sure you select which categories to summarize each time.
Important Things to Remember
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This is not the final version of iOS 26. It’s a public beta, which means bugs, battery drain, or crashes are possible.
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Only install this beta on a secondary device, not your primary iPhone, especially if you rely on it every day.
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Apple may still remove or change this feature before iOS 26 is officially released later this year.
There is no exact release date for the final version of iOS 26 yet, but it's expected in Fall 2025.
Should You Use AI Notification Summaries?
This depends on your needs. If you like a cleaner lock screen with simplified alerts, this feature might help. But if you care about accuracy, especially for news updates, be cautious. Always verify the full story by opening the original app.
Final Thoughts
Apple’s iOS 26 AI notification summaries are a bold feature powered by Apple Intelligence. But as we’ve seen in this beta, the tech is not perfect. Apple now gives you a choice and a warning — you decide if the convenience is worth the risk of a misinterpreted headline.
Want to try it yourself? You can download the public beta of iOS 26 and explore the latest features Apple introduced at WWDC 2025.