In this tutorial, we’ll show you which options to turn off in your Gmail settings on iPhone, Android phone, and web browser to opt out of all ‘smart’ AI features and go back to a simpler and more private email experience.

While AI is everywhere, not everyone is a fan. Many people don’t like AI being shoved down their throats. They complain that AI isn’t needed for simple tasks like drafting or reading an email.

Additionally, many privacy-focused individuals don’t want their sensitive emails used to train Google’s AI.

Now, there is no guarantee that Google will stop using your emails for training after you turn off the ‘smart’ features. After all, they said they are not listening to your private Google Assistant conversations, but just a few days back, Google settled a lawsuit for a measly $68 million fine (Fox Business, Reuters, BBC). Still, turning off these features from your end will give you some satisfaction. Here’s how to do that.

Turn off all unnecessary AI features in Gmail

The core process is the same across all devices, but I have outlined the steps separately for iPhone, Android phone, and web browser. Plus, the changes you make are at the account level, so you only need to turn them off on one of your devices.

Gmail app on iPhone

1) Open the updated Gmail app on your iPhone or iPad. Make sure the correct account is selected if you use more than one.

2) Tap the three lines hamburger icon from the top left, followed by Settings.

3) Tap Smart reply, turn it off, and tap Done. Next, return to Gmail settings and turn off Smart compose.

4) Now, tap Data privacy, and turn off Smart features.

From the same screen, tap Google Workspace smart features and disable Smart features in Google Workspace and Smart features in other Google products. Tap Done to save your new changes.

Gmail on Android phone

1) Open the Gmail app, tap the hamburger icon, select Settings, and tap your account email address.

2) Uncheck Smart features, Smart Compose, and Smart Reply.

3) Next, tap Google Workspace smart features and uncheck Smart features in Google Workspace and Smart features in other Google products.

Gmail in a web browser

1) Visit https://mail.google.com/mail/ in a web browser.

2) Click the gear icon in the top right, followed by See all Settings.

3) Scroll down the General tab and do the following:

• Set Smart Compose to Writing suggestions off.
• Set Smart Compose personalization to Personalization off.
• Set Smart Reply to Smart Reply off.
• Uncheck Smart features (Turn on smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet).

4) Then, click the Manage Workspace smart feature settings button. And turn off both Smart features in Google Workspace and Smart features in other Google products, and click Save.

5) Finally, scroll to the bottom of the General tab and click the Save Changes button.

What’s your reason for turning off these ‘smart’ Gmail features?

Also, check out:

• 20+ alternatives to Google apps and services for iPhone
• How to stop email tracking in Gmail and Apple Mail

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2026/01/30/turn-off-smart-ai-features-gmail/

In this guide, we’ll share four easy ways to add password protection to your sensitive images and screenshots to keep them safe from prying eyes.

If you give other people, such as your spouse, kids, or even office colleagues, access to your Mac, the best option is to simply create a separate user account for them and change your main account password. This way, you don’t have to worry about file mixing or unauthorized access.

But if you must share your user account with others, or want an additional layer of protection to make your pictures and screenshots more private, here are four easy ways to do so.

Please check all four and pick the one that best suits your needs. I use method 3 on all my Macs.

Convert to PDF and lock the file

If you have to hide just one or a few images and want to do it quickly, without many steps or downloading third-party apps, then this method is for you. Just remember that this may affect picture quality, but it shouldn’t be a big deal if you’re looking to protect private screenshots and such.

1) Control-click over one or multiple images in your Finder folder or desktop and select Quick Actions > Create PDF. This will turn your selected pictures into a PDF.

2) Now, open the PDF in Mac’s Preview and set a password on it. You can do this by clicking File > Export > Permissions and adding your custom owner password. Then, check the box for “Require Password To Open Document,” add the password under it, and click Apply > Save.

3) You’ll now have a password-protected PDF. Delete the original unprotected PDF and image, and keep just the locked PDF copy.

Compress the photo into a ZIP file and password protect it

This second method is similar to the one above. All you need to do is select one or more pictures in Finder, control-click, and choose Compress to turn them into a ZIP file. Then, set a lock on that ZIP file with a custom password.

Create a locked disk image and save the picture there

In this method, you’ll use the built-in macOS Disk Utility app to create a password-protected, encrypted virtual disk of the desired size (like 2 GB). Then, you can add photos, videos, documents, and files of any kind here. They will remain locked until you enter the password to open that disk image. Our linked tutorial will guide you through everything.

Use Encrypto to encrypt and decrypt the photo

And finally, the most straightforward method of them all. But it requires using a third-party app. However, note that this app is by MacPaw, which is popular for creating reputable Mac apps like Setapp and CleanMyMac.

1) Download the Encrypto app for free from the Mac App Store and open it.

2) Drag and drop an image over its window and set a password to encrypt the file.

3) After encryption, click the Save As button and save the encrypted file with the ‘.crypto’ extension to the desired folder.

4) Then, delete the original, unencrypted file.

5) When you need to view the locked image, double-click to open it in Encrypto, enter the password, and click Decrypt.

6) You can now view the image by clicking its thumbnail and also save its unencrypted version to Finder if needed.

Which method will you be using?

Also, check out:

• How to secure your Mac and all of its valuable data
• 9 ways to lock private files & documents on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2026/01/29/password-protect-photos-mac/