Apple iPhone fans just discovering 'extreme' setting to stop 'highly sophisticated cyber attacks'
by Jordan Coussins, https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/authors/jordan-coussins/ · Birmingham LiveiPhone users have stumbled upon an 'extreme' protection setting hidden within Apple's iOS. Named 'Lockdown Mode,' it is designed to 'protect devices against extremely rare and highly sophisticated cyber attacks,' according to the tech giant's website.
Apple has stated that this feature was 'designed for the very few individuals' as most people are never targeted by such attacks. However, those who believe they have been victims of such an event can activate Lockdown Mode if their iPhone is running iOS 16 or later.
To do so, users need to go to Settings, scroll down to Privacy & Security where Lockdown Mode is located, turn the setting on, restart their device and then enter their passcode. Apple has cautioned that using Lockdown Mode will alter the functionality of some apps and features, including Messages, Web browsing and FaceTime.
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'To reduce the attack surface that potentially could be exploited by highly targeted mercenary spyware, certain apps, websites, and features are strictly limited for security and some experiences might not be available at all,' its website states. When activating Lockdown Mode, users will see a warning-like message about the reduced functionality.
For instance, most types of Message attachments will be blocked, excluding certain images, video, and audio. Other Message features, such as links and link previews, will be unavailable.
You will not be able to receive FaceTime calls from people you have not called before, but phone calls and plain text messages will continue to work.
- Emergency features, such as SOS emergency calls, will continue to function as normal.
- When you share or send photos, location information will be removed from them.
- Shared albums will be deleted from the Photos app, and any new Shared Album invitations will be blocked.
- In terms of web browsing, you may notice that some websites load more slowly or do not work properly.
- Web fonts might not be displayed, and some images may be replaced with a 'missing image' icon.
- After reviewing this information, scroll all the way down and select 'Turn On Lockdown Mode'.