Siri's new Excluded Apps setting lets iPhone owners block access to selected apps, with a trade-off: those apps also become unavailable to Siri, Search and suggestions. Someone who wants fewer suggestions has a narrower control available, while someone who wants to remove old Siri chats needs the conversation controls.
Apple's iOS 27.2 release notes say Siri AI can now recall past conversations and draw on more personal context, including Messages photo attachments, Calendar attendees, voicemails, Safari history and Reading List. The update also puts app exclusions in one setting.
Add an app to the exclusion list
Apple's iPhone guide says all apps are included by default. Open Settings, tap Siri, then Excluded Apps. Choose Add Apps, select the apps to restrict and tap the blue checkmark.
Siri ordinarily uses app access to find information and take actions. Excluding an app withdraws that availability across Siri, Search and suggestions. That is a broader choice than hiding an unwanted suggestion.
The choice is reversible. In Excluded Apps, tap Edit, use the red minus button beside the app, then tap Delete to remove the restriction. Finish with the blue checkmark. Here, Delete removes an entry from the exclusion list and restores access; it does not uninstall the app.
| Control | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Excluded Apps | App availability to Siri, Search and suggestions |
| Suggestions | Where suggested actions and content appear |
| Siri conversation controls | Saved chats and how long to retain them |
| Siri Classic | Which version of the assistant you use |
| Improve Search | Storage and use of search queries for improvement |
For a narrower change, open Settings, Siri, Suggestions. Its options include suggestions in notifications, App Library and the sharing interface. You can also select an individual app and change the options offered for it. For Messages, turning off Show in App prevents suggestions inside that app.
Review conversations already saved
Apple's Siri app instructions give saved conversations their own controls. To remove one, touch and hold it in the Siri app, choose Delete and confirm. For several chats, use the options button, choose Select, mark the conversations and use the trash button, then confirm deletion.
For a retention limit, open Settings, Siri, Keep Conversations. Apple says choosing 30 days or one year permanently deletes older conversations. Review that consequence before shortening the period if you rely on old answers.
Conversation history also syncs across platforms when you use the same Apple Account. An app-access decision and a review of that history therefore answer different questions: what the assistant may consult, and which conversations you want to keep.
Use Siri Classic or turn Siri off
Apple's Intelligence controls guide documents a wider change. In Settings, Siri, scroll down to Turn Off Siri and confirm. To return to the older assistant, turn Siri on again and choose Siri Classic.
Siri AI remains a beta. On iPhone, it requires Apple Intelligence-capable hardware: iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, or an iPhone 16 model or later, with supported device and Siri languages. An operating-system update alone does not give every older iPhone the same assistant.
Apple lists separate controls for other Intelligence features, including message, email and notification summaries. Switching assistant versions does not replace reviewing the specific feature you want to change.
Search improvement has a separate switch
Apple's Search privacy notice says limited query and contextual information can be sent to Apple for search suggestions, associated with a rotating identifier. It says these transmissions exclude search results showing files or content on the device.
Apple says search information is not linked to an Apple Account or email address, and it may process and store information with trusted third-party service providers. Its notice also says Siri request transcripts and other data may be sent to Apple and stored. App exclusions should not be read as a promise that every request stays on the phone.
To stop Apple storing queries to improve Search, go to Settings, Search and turn off Help Apple Improve Search. Apple's notice says Siri searches can still be stored for Siri improvement when Improve Siri & Dictation is enabled. That setting is under Settings, Privacy & Security, Analytics & Improvements.
For search location sharing, Apple documents Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, System Services, then Suggestions & Search. These controls address search data and improvement separately from the list of apps Siri may access.
