Apple pauses notification summaries for news in iOS 18.3 beta

Apple Temporarily Halts Notification Summaries for News and Entertainment Apps

Apple has temporarily stopped showing notification summaries for news and entertainment apps as part of the iOS 18.3 developer beta released on Thursday. This decision comes after reports from MacRumors and 9to5Mac revealed that the Apple Intelligence-powered feature was criticized for inaccurately summarizing content from outlets like the BBC.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple plans to reenable the notifications “with a future software update” as they continue to work on improving the feature. In the new beta, Apple will clearly label the notification summary feature as a beta version that “may contain errors.”

Disabling Notifications and Differentiating Summaries

9to5Mac also reports that Apple will allow users to disable notifications for specific apps from the lock screen or Notification Center in iOS 18.3. This can be done by swiping, tapping “Options,” and selecting “Turn Off Summaries.” Additionally, the company will use italicized text on the lock screen to make it easier for users to distinguish between notification summaries and standard notifications.

The Verge reached out to Apple for more information about these upcoming changes, but has not received an immediate response.

Addressing Previous Issues

Last month, the BBC called out Apple for inaccurately summarizing its coverage of the UnitedHealth shooter. The notification summary feature wrongly suggested that the outlet reported Luigi Mangione shot himself. In response, Apple announced plans to roll out an update that will “further clarify when the text being displayed is summarization provided by Apple Intelligence.”

FAQs

Q: Why did Apple temporarily stop showing notification summaries for news and entertainment apps?

A: Apple made this decision in response to criticism of inaccurately summarized content from outlets like the BBC.

Q: How can users disable notifications for specific apps in iOS 18.3?

A: Users can disable notifications for specific apps by swiping, tapping “Options,” and selecting “Turn Off Summaries” from the lock screen or Notification Center.

Q: What changes will Apple make to make it easier to differentiate between notification summaries and standard notifications?

A: Apple will use italicized text on the lock screen to help users distinguish between notification summaries and standard notifications.

In conclusion, Apple’s decision to temporarily halt notification summaries for news and entertainment apps is a response to feedback from users and outlets like the BBC. The upcoming changes in iOS 18.3 aim to address previous issues and offer users more control over their notifications.

Credit: www.theverge.com