How do I update to macOS Tahoe and avoid installing the Image Playground app?

1. You cannot. There is no way to prevent Image Playground from Installing. However, you don't have to use it, and if you never open it or do anything with it, it will do nothing at all like all those other components of the OS you don't know about and never use but are still there and cannot be removed.
2. It does not steal your data in any way. Image Playground woks locally only. It does not send any data anywhere for processing and unless you actively load an image into it it has no access to them. You need to actively use it for it to do something.
3. Also, if you don't enable Apple Intelligence, Image Playground will do nothing as it requires it to work and without it the App will just tell you Apple Intelligence is not turned on and won't let you do anything.
4. You can contact Apple Support through the support website https://getsupport.apple.com. Enter your issue in the search and at the end there should be a "Get More Support" button at the bottom of the page with Chat or Phone options if available at the time for your issue.
5. You can also contact Apple support by phone. click here ➜ Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

Question: How do I update to macOS Tahoe and avoid installing the Image Playground app?

If anyone has advice on how to get a hold of Apple Support directly, I would really appreciate it.

? Delete it, not possible if baked into the macOS...

Turn off Ai if it is an issue.

ref: Apps included on your Mac baked in macOS applications apps that ship with your Mac

Apps included on your Mac - Apple Support

you can submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

Call Customer Support (800) MY–APPLE (800–692–7753)

or on line https://getsupport.apple.com/

or call AppleCare Support at 1-800-APLCARE (800-275-2273)

Outside the USA—Contact Apple for support and service by phone

See a list of Apple phone numbers around the world.

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

Contact the corporate office Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple

Contact Apple Support

Contact - Official Apple Support

 Apple Support Twitter 

https://x.com/applesupport

EasterltArt wrote:

Question: How do I update to macOS Tahoe and avoid installing the Image Playground app?

Why do you want to update to macOS Tahoe then? Aside from some really poor design changes, AI is its only feature.

I'm trying to reduce the amount of Ai slop forced onto me from social media, and to learn Image Playground is part of the macOS Tahoe update is kind of concerning, especially seeing people can't even delete the app. Most users don't want it, and it would be nice to avoid.

I wouldn't agree that most users don't want it. Most users seem to have completely fallen for the AI scam.

Image Playground is part of the operating system. It can't be removed. However, if you don't turn on Apple Intelligence, then Image Playground will be disabled and hidden. So if you did want those round windows and unreadable transparency overlays in Tahoe, you can have them without AI or Image Playground.

Also, it is worth noting that Apple Support is not active right now. No chat. No phone number. Nothing. I can't open a ticket, I don't know where to find where I could, and there is no help otherwise except for posting in the community here.

Interesting. My first attempt at navigating to https://support.apple.com did return an error message. Then I tried again and it worked. Apple has been having web server problems, especially with this site, which is technically part of support, for a few months now. I have no idea what's going wrong, but the struggle is real.

It's getting concerning for me because as a small business owner, I want to be sure I'm protecting my intellectual property, and the property of my clients, from property theft.

Then don't publish anything on the internet.

Copyright infringement and plagiarism is a serious concern these days

Most definitely it is not. The first thing that AI killed was copyright. It's dead and buried, at least for little people like us. I'm sure the big corporations that now own all of the content we published on the internet the past few years still have legal rights to our data.

I don't want any apps on my computer that would be stealing my data and files. It's a huge security risk that Apple should not force onto users.

Apple is very privacy-focused. That's kind of their shtick these days. And that's important because they don't have a lot left otherwise. Like most such issues, your biggest risks and liabilities are elsewhere. If you're worried about Apple taking data from your device and using it in AI, then your fears are misplaced.

Apple isn't the one you need to be worried about. When it comes to AI, Apple's pretty much missed the boat.

If anyone has advice on how to get a hold of Apple Support directly, I would really appreciate it.

Keep trying and it should work eventually. But I doubt that Apple Support will be able to help. They might be able to tell you what I did above. Or might not.

EasterltArt wrote:

1. You cannot. There is no way to prevent Image Playground from Installing. However, you don't have to use it, and if you never open it or do anything with it, it will do nothing at all like all those other components of the OS you don't know about and never use but are still there and cannot be removed.

Why is this application included at all and not something people can download in the app store instead?

Most applications that you get with a new Mac are included with the operating system and are not available for separate download from the App Store. There are two obvious reasons for this.

One is convenience. macOS comes with many applications. It would be a pain in the *** for most customers to have to go through list of them all, and manually download each one from the App Store.

The other is security. In modern versions of macOS, startup disks have a complex volume structure designed to harden the operating system against malware attack.

Operating system files that Apple thinks do not need to be updated offen reside in a cryptographically signed, sealed, system volume. The Mac doesn't even run off it directly, but off read-only startup snapshots (like the highlighted one) that it makes at startup after checking that nobody has tampered with the sealed volume.

Almost all of the applications included with a new Mac, including Image Playground, live in the signed, sealed system volume. The main exceptions are Pages, Numbers, Keynote, GarageBand, and iMovie. These five are much larger than any of the applications that live on the signed, sealed system volume, and Apple distributes those applications through the App Store.

None of the applications in the signed, sealed, system volume can be deleted for the simple reason that any attempt to delete them would look like tampering. If you did manage to modify the "Macintosh HD" volume, presumably you would not be able to sign it with the right cryptographic signature. The next time that you attempted to start up the Mac from that disk, it would see that and would refuse to start up.

That also means that these applications are highly insulated from possible malware attack.

EasterltArt wrote:

I appreciate the reply.

Why is this application included at all and not something people can download in the app store instead?

Because, like many other applications included with the OS, its part of the OS. You don't have to download Notes or Calendar or Safari do you? Why is this different?

Is there any confirmation from Apple's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy that no Apple or other company application/program will not take our data and files for the purposes of developing Ai related technologies?

Yes.

click here ➜ Legal - Training Data - Datasets used for Apple Intelligence - Apple

and here ➜ Legal - Apple Intelligence & Privacy- Apple

It would be preferable if these were disabled to begin with, and for anyone who wants to use Apple Intelligence to turn it as they see fit.

And as I said that's how it works. Apple Intelligence is turned off by default. You need to actually turn it on before it will do anything. It will prompt you to turn it on during set up, but you can ignore it.

A major concern here is that even Apple means well, too much revolving around the push of Ai technologies are concerning for most people. Aside from people using Siri on their phones, I don't see much use case for current MacOS users to need Apple Intelligence, but I understand the desire to have it around just in case.

I can agree. I don't use Apple Intelligence. But as said, if you don't want it, don't turn it on.

It's been said many times, its off by default an you need to choose to turn it on.

Apple Intelligence and Image Play Ground are intergraded into macOS and can not be deleted.

If you do not trust or want to use those features, all you need to do is turn them Off in Settings.

EasterltArt wrote:

Why is this application included at all and not something people can download in the app store instead?

Only Apple can answer the “why” questions.

Is there any confirmation from Apple's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy that no Apple or other company application/program will not take our data and files for the purposes of developing Ai related technologies?

You will want to review the software license agreement, and the privacy statement, and related, and decide:

https://www.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/macOSTahoe.pdf

Legal - Privacy Policy - Apple

Apple Intelligence and privacy on Mac - Apple Support (on-device, and Private Cloud Compute when authorized)

It would be preferable if these were disabled to begin with, and for anyone who wants to use Apple Intelligence to turn it as they see fit.

Log your feedback with Apple:

Product Feedback - Apple (pick your Mac model, as there is no category for Apple Intelligence)

A major concern here is that even Apple means well, too much revolving around the push of Ai technologies are concerning for most people. Aside from people using Siri on their phones, I don't see much use case for current MacOS users to need Apple Intelligence, but I understand the desire to have it around just in case.

Apple Intelligence is useful for summarizing longer and loquacious ASC posts, and can be useful for tuning text, and AI in the form of ML is embedded all over and quite useful.

EasterltArt wrote:

Image Playground should be an application people choose to install on their Apple computers, not auto-installed.

When you send Apple feedback, be sure to let them know you should be the one to decide what is installed and what isn't.

EasterltArt wrote:

Why is this different?

A key distinction here is that Notes, Calendar, and even Safari are functionally useful. Image Playground is not useful.

Now extend that approach to every other pre-installed app you also find not useful, and request all of those also be removed.

The testing matrix increases exponentially too, where the combinations of what millions of users each think is not-useful and what is useful should get at least some testing too, as where detecting any conflicts when parts are present and other parts are not, and where there is testing for the messages when the not-useful apps are launched and then needs to be installed.

MrHoffman wrote:

EasterltArt wrote:

Why is this different?

A key distinction here is that Notes, Calendar, and even Safari are functionally useful. Image Playground is not useful.

Now extend that approach to every other pre-installed app you also find not useful, and request all of those also be removed.

A surprisingly large number (to me, at least) of people get very upset that they can't remove the Chess app. I'd forgotten there even was a chess app.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

A surprisingly large number (to me, at least) of people get very upset that they can't remove the Chess app. I'd forgotten there even was a chess app.

And with macOS itself, the ever-useful Apple Network Utility app somehow did get removed. 🤬 Thankfully for those less interested in using or not conversant with the command line network troubleshooting tools, there is more recently available and familiar-looking replacement: Neo Network Utility.

EasterltArt wrote:

Image Playground should be an application people choose to install on their Apple computers, not auto-installed.

That's what the App Store is for when it comes to apps that most people don't want, but have the option to install if they want to.

We Own our Apple Devices, on this we agree

Apple Owns the Operating System

We are given a Lease for the Operating System

What is or is not included as part of the Operating System is not within our purview to cherry-pick that which is or is not included there after - full stop

Apple does what is best for what Apple believes in best for Apple

It has been this way for as long as I can remember

I do not see this changing any time soon