Apple’s notices distinguish on-device processing, Private Cloud Compute, and enabled extensions; they also describe web Search and Private Information Retrieval. These are processing mechanisms, not an exhaustive three-way routing switch you can always select yourself. Apple says Private Information Retrieval fetches hosted data without revealing the query or retrieved result to Apple. Search has separate rules: Apple’s Search notice says a Siri world-knowledge request, or a subset, may be sent to Apple and may be stored. Do not extend PCC’s content-retention promise to Search. The ChatGPT extension also has different rules depending on whether you connect an account. Search & Privacy explains the web-lookup rules. Before attaching a sensitive file, work out which path you are using. The name on the device is not enough to answer where that request goes.
This guide compares Apple’s published privacy notices. It is not a hands-on security audit, and it does not establish that any particular document is safe to share. The examples and decision process are our advice. The starting privacy notices are Apple Intelligence & Privacy and ChatGPT Extension & Privacy, both dated September 14, 2026; current Apple user guides and security documentation below supply version-specific behavior and architecture context.
Availability varies by device, software version, language, region, and feature. Apple’s current next-generation guide covers the 27.0 releases; it also lists features supported on version 26 and later. The ChatGPT extension works only where the ChatGPT app and service are available. Check Apple’s current device and regional requirements before following these steps. Apple’s current guides also specify minimum ages and separate Siri AI language and regional limits. Some server-model features have daily usage limits. Apple’s availability guide and current iPhone ChatGPT guide give version-specific requirements.
On-device does mean something specific
Apple says many Apple Intelligence models run entirely on the device, so those tasks can finish without data leaving it. The company gives Priority Notifications as an example of an on-device determination. It does not say every Apple Intelligence task follows that route. For tasks needing a more computationally demanding model, the request may go to Private Cloud Compute.
Keep the scope of the statement intact. A promise about an on-device model is a promise about that processing step. It is not a statement that every feature you can invoke from the same interface avoids an external service. If your rule is that a particular document must never leave its device, do not infer compliance from the Apple Intelligence label alone.
Our recommendation is to define the restriction before using the feature. Does your policy prohibit any remote processing? Does it permit a named provider under specified terms? Does it require approval for attachments? Those questions make the choice concrete without pretending that a privacy marketing phrase is an access policy.
Private Cloud Compute has a different promise
Apple describes Private Cloud Compute as server-based processing for more complex requests. Its notice says the data processed there is not stored or made accessible to Apple. It is used to fulfill the request, the result returns securely to the device, and Private Cloud Compute does not retain it. That is Apple’s published commitment, not an independent finding by this publication.
Apple separately describes limited operational information it may collect for requests using Private Cloud Compute or Private Information Retrieval. Examples include approximate request and response size, the feature used, and completion time. Apple says this information excludes request and result content, is not identifiable, and is not linked to the Apple Account or other Apple service data.
That distinction prevents a sloppy summary. Saying Apple promises not to retain the processed content does not mean the notice promises no operational data collection. Ask which information a claim covers. Content, account linkage, and service metrics are different issues in the notice, and the explanation should preserve those differences.
Apple’s June 8, 2026 security post describes extending PCC to Google Cloud using NVIDIA GPUs, while retaining its stated PCC requirements. The post describes a gradual summer-preview ramp; it does not establish which infrastructure processed a particular request or independently prove rollout completion. Current consumer guides still describe Apple silicon servers. Apple’s PCC security post. Apple says PCC is not available in every region. If a device detects inconsistencies in PCC’s public transparency log, Apple says it does not send the request to PCC; on-device features can continue while the issue is resolved. PCC issue guidance.
The ChatGPT extension is a separate decision
Apple says the ChatGPT extension is off by default and must be enabled before information is sent through it. Supported experiences include Siri, Writing Tools, and visual intelligence where available. You can use it without a ChatGPT account or choose to connect an account. That account choice changes the applicable data rules.
Apple’s privacy notice describes a Siri flow in which an explicit “Ask ChatGPT” request goes directly to ChatGPT and Siri can otherwise suggest using it. Confirmation behavior depends on software version and which Siri experience you use. Apple’s iOS 26 guide allows Confirm ChatGPT Requests to be turned off but says photos and files still require confirmation. The current iOS guide says this opt-out is unavailable with Siri AI: you must first ask ChatGPT before a prompt, photos, or files are sent. Check the iOS 26 guide against the current iPhone guide before relying on a setting label or assuming attachments can be sent without asking.
The extension can send your request and attachments such as documents or photos, along with limited associated information. Apple lists time zone, country, device type, language, and the feature being used. It says your IP address is obscured from ChatGPT, while a general location derived from it is provided for purposes including fraud prevention and legal compliance. Obscuring the address is not the same as sending no contextual information.
Apple also collects limited information about ChatGPT requests and responses, such as request counts and approximate sizes, to operate the service and prevent fraud. Signed-out OpenAI restrictions do not mean Apple collects no service data. For ChatGPT used through Siri, Apple says it collects information about the request. If you opt in to Improve Siri and Dictation or Improve Siri & Apple Intelligence, additional request data, including audio, transcripts, and response metadata, may be logged by Apple; Apple says this data is not tied to your Apple Account.
The ChatGPT extension is also available through supported visual intelligence experiences, not just Siri and Writing Tools. Apple’s Search notice says choosing Google Search for an image sends the camera image to Google under Google’s privacy policies; that is distinct from PCC and the ChatGPT extension. Search & Privacy.
Compare signed out with signed in
Without an account, Apple’s notice says OpenAI receives no information tied to your Apple Account. It must use the supplied information solely to fulfill the request. It must not store that information or its response unless applicable law requires it, and it must not use the information to improve or train its models. Preserve the legal-retention exception when explaining this rule.
When you sign in, your ChatGPT account settings and OpenAI’s privacy policies apply. Apple says OpenAI may log requests, attachments, and session history and use the data to train or improve models. That statement is conditional on the applicable settings and policies. It does not mean every signed-in request necessarily trains a model.
For a practical comparison, ask whether you need the connected account for the task at all. Then review its current data settings before sending anything. Staying signed out of the extension is not a substitute for permission to share a document, but it is a materially different documented processing arrangement. Treat connecting an account as a deliberate choice.
Check the record, without overstating it
Apple’s September 14 notice calls the tool Apple Intelligence & PCC Report. Current iPhone and Mac guides call it Apple Intelligence Report, under Settings or System Settings > Privacy & Security. The notice also documents reporting on iPadOS and visionOS. The current iPhone and Mac guides offer a 15-minute default window or 7 days, an Export Activity action, and a file named Apple_Intelligence_Report.json. Apple warns the report may be empty if no PCC requests have occurred since the duration was changed. See the iPhone privacy guide and Mac privacy guide.
Apple says the report shows requests processed off device by Private Cloud Compute. If extensions are enabled, it also includes requests sent to Apple Intelligence Extensions when used with supported features. It warns that recent requests may not appear if Face ID or Touch ID is temporarily disabled. Use the report as a documented inspection tool, not a guarantee that one export is a complete forensic history.
With optional Device Analytics enabled, Apple may use privacy-preserving techniques to learn aggregate trends about content processed by Apple Intelligence, without collecting individual user data or content. Sharing can be disabled in Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements using Share [Device] Analytics or Share Mac Analytics. That is another separate control. Do not confuse it with extension account settings, Siri improvement settings, or the handling of a single Private Cloud Compute request.
Before your next sensitive task, identify the receiving service, confirm account state, and check the information you are about to attach. Use a harmless example first if you need to understand the workflow. If your sharing rules remain unclear, stop rather than interpret an attractive privacy promise more broadly than its text. The useful comparison is the actual processing path and its terms, not one brand-wide claim.