How to limit cloud processing in Samsung Galaxy AI
Share
Published
On compatible Samsung devices, Galaxy AI includes a setting to limit its cloud processing and allow only on-device processing. That setting is useful, but you should still check the individual feature, app permissions and account controls before using sensitive information.
Samsung’s Galaxy AI support guide directs users to Settings, Galaxy AI and the Process data only on device switch. Menu names and available features vary by model and software. Some devices place AI options under Advanced features.
The guide says some functions, including many translation tasks and Gallery edit suggestions, run on the device, while other features use the cloud. Restricting cloud processing can limit available functions. Read the information shown for the feature you intend to use rather than treating every AI function as identical.
What the control can tell you
The switch addresses processing for the covered Galaxy AI features. It does not, by itself, establish that every installed app, browser tab or synchronisation service will stop communicating over the internet. A photo app’s backup setting, for example, is a separate question from where an AI edit is processed.
For each task, distinguish three things: the material you give the feature, the processing it performs and where the original or result is stored afterwards. This makes a privacy review more useful than asking only whether a phone has an AI processor.
Review one feature at a time
- Open Settings and find Galaxy AI, or the AI section shown on your model.
- Read the information for the feature you plan to use.
- Enable on-device-only processing if that matches your needs and the option is available.
- Check permissions and synchronisation in the relevant app separately.
- Use a harmless sample to see which functions remain available before using real information.
If the menu is absent, check Samsung’s guidance for the exact device and software version. Do not assume a screenshot for another model applies to yours.
Using a personal phone for work
Consider a hypothetical sales employee who wants to summarise notes containing customer names and telephone numbers. Before processing them, the employee should check which tools the employer has approved and whether those details are needed for the task. Replacing identifiable details with a neutral sample can make a demonstration possible without exposing the customer record.
A local-processing option is one part of that decision. The employer still needs to define acceptable use, access to the phone and where results may be saved. Our guide to access control for Nigerian SMEs provides related questions for the person responsible for those records.
Does on-device mean no privacy risk?
No. Someone with access to an unlocked device may still see source material or saved results. Review what the app keeps, how the screen locks and who can use the account. Privacy notices can help explain the service’s stated handling of data, while the device controls show the choices available to you.
What if a feature stops working?
Check whether it requires cloud processing. Decide whether that function is worth enabling for the information involved. Avoid changing a restriction simply to complete a work task until the responsible person has reviewed the choice.
Settings checked against Samsung’s published support documentation on 8 November 2026. This guide does not claim an independent audit of Galaxy AI’s network traffic.
Featured image: AI-generated conceptual illustration.
