Apple’s Lockdown Mode offers extreme security for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

The feature is coming in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura this fall, and is meant to protect those targeted by state-sponsored mercenary spyware.

By Jason Cross, MacWorld

Apple has always taken security and privacy very seriously, and the company is drastically raising the stakes with the announcement of a new feature called Lockdown Mode. Coming this fall in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura, Apple says the feature is “the first major capability of its kind” and an “extreme, optional protection for the very small number of users who face grave, targeted threats to their digital security.”

Lockdown Mode is meant to be a last-resort option for users who think they are the individual targets of mercenary spyware. That is, spyware created by professional companies at the behest of state-sponsored agencies to target specific people or groups. Apple explains it like this:

Lockdown Mode offers an extreme, optional level of security for the very few users who, because of who they are or what they do, may be personally targeted by some of the most sophisticated digital threats, such as those from NSO Group and other private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware. Turning on Lockdown Mode in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura further hardens device defenses and strictly limits certain functionalities, sharply reducing the attack surface that potentially could be exploited by highly targeted mercenary spyware.

When a user enables Lockdown Mode, they sacrifice some important functionality in the name of preventing sophisticated spyware from being able to run. Here are the protections it will offer when it is launched this fall as part of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura, though Apple says it will strengthen and add new protections to Lockdown Mode over time.

  • Messages: Most message attachment types other than images are blocked. Some features, such as link previews, are disabled.
  • Web browsing: Certain complex web technologies, like just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation, are disabled unless the user excludes a trusted site from Lockdown Mode.
  • Apple services: Incoming invitations and service requests, including FaceTime calls, are blocked if the user has not previously sent the initiator a call or request.
  • Wired connections with a computer or accessory are blocked when iPhone is locked.
  • Configuration profiles cannot be installed, and the device cannot enroll into mobile device management (MDM), while Lockdown Mode is turned on.


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