MacVoices #26275: Live! - Removing Apple Intelligence, iPhone 18 vs. AT&T, More iCloud Email Addresses

The risks and rewards of removing Apple Intelligence to reclaim storage storage space space are debated, along with some experiences of performance problems following macOS upgrades. They investigate reports of iPhone 18 Pro Max failures on AT&T, debating whether hardware, software, or carrier networks are responsible. The conversation concludes with new, expanded iCloud+ email alias options, custom domains, and the advantages of owning a personal domain.

The panel includes: Chuck Joiner, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, David Ginsburg, Jim Rea, Eric Bolden, Web Bixby, and Marty Jencius.

MacVoices is supported by Origin Technology. Origin is endpoint AI observability. See what a trace looks like at https://originhq.com/macvoices.

Show Notes:

Links:

Remove Apple Intelligence from MacOS 27 Golden Gate with RemoveMacAI https://osxdaily.com/2026/10/06/remove-apple-intelligence-from-macos-27-golden-gate-with-removemacai/

You Might Need to Replace Your iPhone 18 Pro Max https://lifehacker.com/tech/you-might-need-to-replace-your-iphone-18-pro-max

Apple and AT&T Have Yet to Explain Cause of iPhone 18 Pro Max Issue https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/05/apple-att-yet-to-share-cause-of-iphone-issue/

iCloud+ just rolled out an improved perk for subscribers - 9to5Mac https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/05/icloud-just-rolled-out-an-improved-perk-for-subscribers/

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction and Episode Topics 00:35 – Removing Apple Intelligence to Reclaim Storage Space 01:20 – Performance Concerns on Older Macs 02:00 – Why Users Want Apple Intelligence Completely Disabled 03:10 – Removing AI from macOS Versus Disabling It on iOS 04:00 – Could Removing Apple Intelligence Save 31GB? 05:35 – Evaluating the Risks of Third-Party Removal Tools 07:20 – macOS Upgrade Performance Problems on an M1 Ultra Mac Studio 08:50 – Investigating Indexing, Rosetta, and System Slowdowns 10:00 – Older Computers and the Demands of New Operating Systems 10:55 – Origin Sponsor Message 13:00 – iPhone 18 Pro Max Connectivity Failures on AT&T 14:15 – Qualcomm Modems and Possible Carrier Configuration Problems 15:20 – Software Updates and Phones That May Require Replacement 16:20 –