Is Apple Intelligence private? On-device, Private Cloud Compute, and ChatGPT

The Morse teamPublished October 25, 20267 min read

As of October 22, 2026, Apple Intelligence is private from Apple for most requests, and it is one of the few AI systems whose cloud privacy claims outsiders can check. Requests that run on your device stay there, and requests sent to Apple's Private Cloud Compute are processed and not kept. The exceptions are the ones you choose: a request you send to ChatGPT, and the opt-in program that lets Apple store and train on your Siri requests.

We read Apple's Apple Intelligence and privacy pages, its ChatGPT Extension and Improve Siri & Apple Intelligence privacy notices (both dated September 14, 2026), the Private Cloud Compute Security Guide and its release notes, and Apple's security research blog on October 22, 2026. Apple deserves credit here. It publishes the server software, a public log of every release, and tools to test both.

Apple Intelligence privacy at a glance

Does Apple Intelligence send your data to Apple?

Only when a request needs a bigger model than your device has. Apple says that in many cases its models "run entirely on device" (Apple). More complex requests go to Private Cloud Compute (PCC), Apple's server system for larger models. Apple says data processed there "is not stored or made accessible to Apple" and is used only to fulfill your request (Apple). Apple may collect limited information about a request, such as the approximate size of the request and response (Apple). That information is not linked to your Apple Account, according to the same page.

Your device also hides where a request comes from. Apple routes every PCC request through relays run by third parties, currently Cloudflare and Fastly, to conceal your IP address from its servers (Apple). The tokens that prove your device may use PCC are built with blind signatures, so PCC can check a token without learning which user or device sent it (Apple).

PCC holds something between requests in one case, multi-turn requests. For those, it can hold an encrypted copy of the model's working state between turns, but it keeps no key for it, and your device supplies the keys with each new turn (Apple).

How can you check Private Cloud Compute?

Your device checks each server before it sends anything, and anyone can check the software. Apple's guide says the device validates a PCC node's attestation and only then wraps the request's encryption key to that node (Apple). Devices send requests only to nodes whose software measurements appear in a public, append-only transparency log (Apple). We explain attestation itself in what a trusted execution environment is.

Apple also gives researchers a way to test those builds. Its Virtual Research Environment boots PCC's software in a virtual machine on a Mac with Apple silicon and 16GB or more of memory (Apple, October 24, 2024). Apple's bug bounty pays up to $1,000,000 for a remote attack on PCC request data, according to the same post.

You can see your own traffic, too. On an iPhone, open Settings, tap Privacy & Security, then Apple Intelligence Report, and pick the last 15 minutes or the last 7 days (Apple). The exported file lists the attestations of the PCC nodes your device sent requests to (Apple).

Does Private Cloud Compute run on Google's servers now?

Partly, in a preview. On January 12, 2026, Apple and Google said Apple's next foundation models "will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology" (Google). On June 8, 2026, Apple wrote that it had extended PCC to Google Cloud systems using NVIDIA GPUs, Intel CPUs with TDX, and Google's Titan chip (Apple). Apple says it keeps "complete control over PCC software" wherever the hardware is hosted. It also wrote that PCC on Google Cloud would be "gradually ramping towards the complete set of protections" during the preview, and that its binaries "will be published."

PrivacyTools' review still describes PCC as running only on Apple silicon (PrivacyTools), and Apple's own iPhone guide still says requests are processed "on Apple silicon servers" (Apple). Apple's PCC release notes, read October 22, 2026, say some requests from the iOS 27 beta are served by PCC on Google Cloud (Apple). The same notes say Apple's research tool doesn't yet parse those nodes' attestations, and a public research program for them comes "later this year." Intel TDX is one of the TEEs that the 2025 physical-access attacks broke, as our TEE explainer covers.

Does Apple Intelligence send data to ChatGPT?

Only if you've turned ChatGPT on, and Apple asks before sharing anything (Apple). A ChatGPT request carries your words and any attachments, plus your time zone, country, device type, and language. Apple hides your IP address from ChatGPT but shares your approximate location so OpenAI can prevent fraud.

What OpenAI may keep depends on whether you sign in. Signed out, Apple says OpenAI "must not use your information to improve or train its models" and must not store it unless the law requires (Apple). Signed in, OpenAI may log your requests, attachments, and session history, and your ChatGPT account settings decide whether they train its models. For what that means, see does ChatGPT train on your data.

As of October 22, 2026, ChatGPT is the only outside model with its own notice in Apple's privacy pages. A different provider would bring its own retention and training rules, which Apple's PCC guarantees don't cover.

Does Apple train AI on your Siri requests?

Only if you opt in. Apple's Improve Siri & Apple Intelligence notice, dated September 14, 2026, says opted-in Siri audio, transcripts, and request data "may be used to train Apple's foundation models" (Apple). Apple may store all your Siri and Dictation interactions, tied to a random identifier that rotates several times an hour rather than to your Apple Account. It keeps them for up to two years, and a reviewed subset can be kept longer. "A subset of this data may be reviewed by graders, with audio review being conducted only by Apple employees." If you use ChatGPT through Siri while opted in, Apple also collects audio and transcripts of those requests.

To check your choice, open Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Analytics & Improvements (Apple).

How Morse keeps AI chats private past the edge of Apple's system

Apple Intelligence is most private where Apple controls the whole path. Each exception above is a place your words leave that path: ChatGPT under your OpenAI account, the Siri program that stores two years of requests, and a cloud preview that doesn't have its full protections yet. Morse is built so your chat history never sits on its servers, and you choose, chat by chat, how much any provider sees.

• E2EE, for prompts no host should read. Pick an open-weight model like GLM, Kimi, or DeepSeek, and your own browser checks the secure enclave's attestation before anything leaves your device, then encrypts the message so only that enclave can read it. Morse's servers relay text they can't read. Like PCC, this rests on the enclave hardware and attestation working as designed. Venice, Maple, Confer, and Brave also use enclaves. E2EE chats come with Pro, $19 a month.
• Anonymous, for GPT without an OpenAI account. GPT, Claude, and Gemini go through Morse's proxy, which removes your account, email, and IP address. The provider sees the message without knowing it's you, and may keep it for a limited time to check for abuse, under its own policy.
• Private, for everyday chats no host keeps. Morse has zero data retention agreements with its inference, search, and other providers, and checks each reply where the provider confirms zero retention.

Your chat history stays in your browser, encrypted, and never on Morse's servers. Morse doesn't train AI on your chats, so there's no improvement program to opt out of, and it doesn't sell data or show ads (Morse privacy policy). Clearing your browser deletes your chats for good, and Morse can't recover them, so keep a copy of anything you need. For how other assistants compare, see are AI chats private.

So is Apple Intelligence private enough for you?

• Everyday writing and summaries: yes. On-device requests stay put, and PCC keeps nothing.
• Anything you'd send to ChatGPT: use it signed out, or turn it off. On Morse, Anonymous mode sends GPT your words without your account.
• Siri training: leave Improve Siri & Apple Intelligence off. Morse has no such program.
• Requests no company should read: use Morse's E2EE, where your browser checks the enclave first.

You can try a chat from the Morse home page without an account, or start free and move to Pro when you want E2EE.