macOS 15.4 Beta Conceals Storage Usage of Apple Intelligence Features

Apple introduced a modification in the macOS 15.4 beta that affects how individuals view storage use by Apple Intelligence features. The System Settings no longer displays the amount of local storage space that these features are occupying on a Mac. The alteration was noticed after the release of the second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.4.
In earlier releases, like macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, one could simply view the storage consumption by going to System Settings, then General, followed by Storage, and clicking on the “i” next to macOS. This option is no longer present in the newer beta releases.
Interestingly, when System Integrity Protection (SIP) is disabled, the System Settings app can once again display the storage information of Apple Intelligence features. SIP is a security feature that prevents unauthorized code from executing on the system, and disabling it is not recommended for most users, as it can expose the system to potential security vulnerabilities.
Apple Intelligence uses the MobileAsset framework to distribute and manage machine learning assets and models to Apple devices. These assets can occupy up to 7GB of space on iPhones, iPads, and Macs, according to Apple’s support pages. That is significant storage that could factor into decisions to enable or disable Apple Intelligence features, especially for those low-storage users.
It is not immediately clear why this storage usage information has been obscured, but it has been of interest to both users and developers. Feedback has already been submitted to Apple regarding this change, which still persists in the current beta 3. Apple is set to release macOS Sequoia 15.4 in early April, so it remains to be seen whether this change is reversed before release.
The Apple Intelligence feature is designed to optimize performance and make workloads more streamlined by operating discreetly in the background. By default, this feature is enabled and is designed to occupy less storage space compared to previous versions of macOS. Nevertheless, the users who prefer to have more control can deactivate this feature from the settings.
The absence of detailed storage information on Apple Intelligence features has raised questions regarding transparency and end-user control of system resources. While some users might view the change as a minor regression, others might see it as a significant oversight, especially if they are dealing with constrained storage space.
On related forums, some users have reported that disabling some of the functions of Apple Intelligence can free up storage space. For instance, disabling the Apple Intelligence Report feature will remove report data and can free up several gigabytes of storage space. However, eliminating Apple Intelligence altogether is not straightforward, and some users have reported that it is problematic to disable it or delete it.
More broadly, this change in how macOS 15.4 beta displays Apple Intelligence storage utilization reflects broader discussions of control for users, transparency, and the place of AI-driven features in operating systems going ahead. As Apple continues to iterate on its software program, it will be interesting to see how these issues are addressed in future revisions.