Apple has added an Excluded Apps control in iOS 27.2, bringing together the choice of which apps Siri, Search and suggestions can access. If you use Siri AI, it's worth reviewing alongside the update's expanded access to personal context.
The update was released October 26. Apple's release notes say Siri AI can now recall earlier conversations and draw on additional sources, including photos attached to Messages, Calendar attendees and voicemail. The new exclusion list gives you a place to decide which apps should stay outside that experience.
Choose the apps, then consider Search
The iPhone settings guide says all apps are included by default. To change that, open Settings, tap Siri, then Excluded Apps. Choose Add Apps, select the apps you want to exclude and confirm with the checkmark.
The scope matters. An excluded app becomes unavailable to Siri, Search and suggestions together. You're making a broader choice than stopping the assistant from answering questions about that app. Consider how you normally find information on your phone before selecting a long list.
You can reverse the restriction from the same screen by editing the exclusion list and removing an entry.
Start with one app you have a clear reason to exclude, then check the effect on the ways you normally use your phone. That makes it easier to judge whether the boundary fits your needs before applying it more widely.
App access is one privacy decision
Apple also provides separate choices about how search data is used. Its Search and Privacy explanation says Help Apple Improve Search controls whether search queries are stored and used to improve Search. Improve Siri & Dictation is a separate setting; Siri searches can still be stored and used for improvement when that option is enabled.
Those controls answer a different question from which apps an assistant can access. If your goal is a broader privacy review, check them separately rather than treating the exclusion list as a single switch for everything Siri and Search do.
The expanded Siri AI features require an eligible phone: Apple lists iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and all iPhone 16 models and later. Its current iOS release notes say Siri AI is unavailable in the EU and mainland China. Siri AI remains in beta, requires a supported language and isn't available to users under 13. Having the latest iOS version doesn't by itself establish access to those AI features.
For eligible users, the practical next step is small: review the exclusion list, understand its effect on Search, and keep only the app access you actually want Siri to have.