How to stop AI reading your emails: Gmail, Outlook, iPhone

To stop AI from reading your emails, you have to switch it off in two places: the email service (Gmail, Outlook) and the mail app on your phone, which may have its own AI. In Gmail that means the smart features settings, in Outlook the Turn on Copilot toggle, and on iPhone the Summarize Message Previews switch in Mail settings.

Every setting below is from the company's own help pages, checked on November 11, 2026.

Why there are two layers

People often turn off Gemini in Gmail, open the Mail app on their iPhone, and still see an AI summary under every message. That is not Gmail. Apple Intelligence runs in the app, Gemini or Copilot runs at the provider, and each has its own switch.

So start by writing down two things: who hosts your email (Google, Microsoft, someone else) and which app you read it in (the Gmail app, Outlook, Apple Mail). Then use the sections that match both.

Gmail: two places in Settings

Gmail has two separate controls. On a computer:

1. Open Gmail, click Settings, then See all settings.
2. On the General tab, scroll to Smart features and uncheck Turn on smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet.
3. On the same tab, find Google Workspace smart features and click Manage Workspace smart feature settings.
4. Turn off Smart features in Google Workspace and Smart features in other Google products, then click Save.

Google's smart features help page says the change applies across all devices where you're signed in, and that these settings are off by default in the European Economic Area, Japan, Switzerland and the UK. It also says that "when smart features are on, your data may be used to improve these features."

That is the short version. For what each setting actually controls and what Google says about AI training, read does Google AI read my Gmail. For the full list of Google switches, including ads and third-party app access, see how to stop Google reading my emails.

Outlook: the Turn on Copilot toggle

If you sign in to Outlook with a personal Microsoft account, there is one toggle called Turn on Copilot. Where it sits depends on the app:

According to Microsoft's turn off Copilot help page, turning it off in one Outlook app turns it off on all your devices for that account. On a Mac you need Outlook version 16.95.3 or later to see it, and on a phone you need the latest app version.

Classic Outlook on Windows

Microsoft says there is "currently no estimated date" for the toggle in classic Outlook for Windows. The fallback is the account privacy setting: in an Office app, go to File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings and clear Turn on experiences that analyze your content. Microsoft warns this also turns off other features, including suggested replies in Outlook, text predictions in Word and PowerPoint Designer.

Work or school accounts

The steps above don't apply if you sign in with a work or school account. Your IT admin controls Copilot there. For those accounts, Microsoft's Microsoft 365 Copilot privacy documentation states that "prompts, responses, and data accessed through Microsoft Graph aren't used to train foundation LLMs." That is about training. Whether Copilot can read your work mailbox to answer questions is your organization's call, so ask IT.

iPhone Mail: Apple Intelligence summaries

On an iPhone with Apple Intelligence, the Mail app puts "a short summary automatically" under each email in your inbox, per Apple's iPhone User Guide. This happens to any account you've added, Gmail and Outlook included. To turn it off:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Apps, then Mail.
3. Turn off Summarize Message Previews.
4. On the same screen, turn off Personalize Smart Replies if you don't want reply suggestions shaped by your mail.

Mail notifications are summarized by a different switch: Settings > Notifications > Summarize Notifications. Apple lists all of these on its page for turning off Apple Intelligence features. Apple Intelligence needs an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or an iPhone 16 or later, so on older iPhones there is nothing to switch off.

Where Apple processes your mail

Apple's privacy page says many Apple Intelligence tasks run entirely on the device. Bigger requests go to Private Cloud Compute, where Apple says data "is not stored or made accessible to Apple." You can check what left your phone in Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Intelligence Report, which records requests from the last 15 minutes by default, or the last 7 days. For how that server setup works, see is Apple Intelligence private.

What these switches don't change

Turning off the AI features is worth doing. It is also worth knowing where it stops:

• The provider still holds your mail. The settings decide which features run on your messages. They don't change where your mail is stored or who runs the servers.
• Settings change. New AI features tend to arrive with new settings, so check again after big app updates.
• The other side has AI too. Once you send an email, the recipient's app can summarize it. Your settings only cover your own inbox.

Frequently asked questions

Can I stop AI from reading my emails completely?

You can switch off the AI features in Gmail, Outlook and iPhone Mail with the settings above. What a setting can't change is how the service is built: if your provider can process your mail on its servers to run these features, it still can after you switch them off.

Why do I still see AI summaries after turning off Gemini?

You are probably reading Gmail in another app. On an iPhone, the summaries under each email come from Apple Intelligence in the Mail app. Turn off Summarize Message Previews in Settings > Apps > Mail.

How do I turn off Copilot in classic Outlook?

Microsoft hasn't added the Turn on Copilot toggle to classic Outlook for Windows yet. You can clear Turn on experiences that analyze your content under File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings, but that also turns off suggested replies and other features.

Does turning off smart features in Gmail turn off Gemini?

Turning off Smart features in Google Workspace stops Gemini features inside Gmail, and Smart features in other Google products stops your Gmail data being used for smart features in other Google products. The details are in does Google AI read my Gmail.

An inbox with nothing to switch off

If you'd rather not keep checking settings after every update, the other route is an inbox that isn't mined in the first place. Secria Mail has no ads and Secria never mines your mail. Your mailbox is locked with a key made from your password, on your device. Sign-up is a name, the address you want and a password, with no phone number, and you can import your old mail from Gmail or Outlook.

The free plan includes 1 GB of storage and post-quantum encryption, and needs no card.