Apple’s iOS 16 has feature to protect people in abusive relationships. What to know
_fitted.png "Apple’s Safety Check will include an emergency reset that allows users to “easily sign out of iCloud on all their other devices, reset privacy permissions, and limit messaging to just the device in their hand,” a release said.")
Apple’s new operating system will include a feature meant to help those who may be in an abusive relationship, the company announced at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference.
The new feature, Safety Check, on iOS 16 will help users manage app access and passwords, the company said at the conference on Monday, June 6. It will also inform users who has their passwords and information, so users can review and revoke access to specific people.
“Many people share passwords and access to their devices with their partner,” Katie Skinner, Apple’s senior manager of user privacy software, said. “However, in abusive relationships, this can threaten personal safety and make it harder for victims to get help.”
As many as 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will experience a form of abuse by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The added feature will include an emergency reset that allows users to “easily sign out of iCloud on all their other devices, reset privacy permissions, and limit messaging to just the device in their hand,” according to a news release.
Apple has previously come under fire for its technology possibly aiding in abusive relationships, such as with Apple AirTags. Though the product is meant to be used as an easy means to find your personal belongings, like a purse or wallet, it has the potential to be a “worrisome surveillance tool that could be leveraged by an abuser to discreetly track a partner,” the National Network to End Domestic Violence told Fast Company. Apple later updated the product to add in a feature to notify users if an AirTag is near them.
To develop Safety Check, Apple worked with domestic violence prevention groups, including the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the Women’s Services Network and the National Center for Victims of Crime.
“In times of crisis, for many survivors, it’s important to know who has their information and location. Safety Check helps give control back to survivors,” the National Center for Victims of Crime said in a statement shared by Apple.
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Apple’s iOS 16 has feature to protect people in abusive relationships. What to know."
