Prevent Siri and Search From Accessing Specific iPhone Apps

In iOS 27.2, Apple has a new settings menu that lets you choose which apps Siri, Search, and suggestions can access, all from one list. Here's what's changed and how to use the new menu. With iOS 27.2, Apple has replaced the old App Access controls with a redesigned Excluded Apps feature that makes it a lot simpler to keep specific apps away from Siri, Search, and suggestions. It's actually a bigger change than it might sound. Previously, excluding an app in iOS meant opening Settings ➝ Apple Intelligence & Siri ➝ Apps and adjusting each app's toggles individually. This included a switch that let Siri "Learn from this App," and several suggestion options that appeared in Search and widgets. What was confusing is that some of these switches controlled on-device personalization, rather than access to an app's contents. Moreover, fully keeping an app's content out of search results also required toggling off a separate "Show Content in Search" switch that was buried in each app menu in Settings ➝ Apps. Thankfully, in iOS 27.2, Excluded Apps consolidates all of this into a single multi-select list, where you can add an app once and make it unavailable to Siri, Search, and suggestions. Here's where to find it. How to Exclude Apps From Siri and Search Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap Siri. Tap Excluded Apps. Tap Add Apps, select the apps you want to exclude, then confirm your selection. Bear in mind that excluding an app can disable some Siri features for it. For example, the Electronic Freedom Foundation found that excluding Messages stops Siri AI from reading or replying to messages. Also, onscreen awareness – where you invoke Siri and ask it for information about what you're currently looking at – will no longer work in any app you exclude. Let an App Back Into Siri and Search To return individual app access to Siri and Search, simply tap the Edit button in the Excluded Apps menu, then tap the minus button next to the app in question and hit the checkmark at the top to confirm. Popular StoriesNew Apple TV 4K Announced With A19 Chip, Updated Siri Remote, MoreTuesday October 13, 2026 6:08 am PDT by Joe RossignolApple today announced the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, with key features including an A19 chip, Siri AI support, an updated Siri Remote that has Find My support with Precision Finding, built in far-field microphones, support for surround sound with four HomePods in front and rear pairs, and more. The A19 chip in the new Apple TV 4K delivers up to 50% faster CPU performance and up to twice...Apple Announces $149 HomePod Mini 2 With Siri AI, 'Sound Glow', and Four-Speaker Surround SoundTuesday October 13, 2026 6:11 am PDT by Juli CloverApple today announced a new HomePod mini equipped with Siri AI, new colors, and improved audio experiences. The new HomePod mini has an S10 chip that supports advanced computational audio, and Apple says it optimizes dynamic range, loudness, and acoustic performance in real-time. A Sound Glow feature turns the HomePod mini's top into a "visual canvas" that glows and animates in sync with...New Apple TV 4K and Siri Remote Have These 14 New FeaturesTuesday October 13, 2026 10:26 am PDT by Joe RossignolThe new Apple TV 4K and updated Siri Remote unveiled today have quite a few new features, as outlined in our all-in-one summary below. Here are 11 changes coming with the new Apple TV: A19 chip, for up to 50% faster CPU performance and up to twice as fast graphics performance compared to the previous model with the A15 chip. 8GB of RAM is very likely, up from 4GB of RAM in the previous ...