New privacy and security features are coming to iOS and macOS, meant to protect you against data-stealing apps, keep your emails private and help you track down lost devices. Let’s see which apps are in the spotlight this year.
When Will The New Security Features Arrive?
Apple’s shown off its latest privacy and security features coming to its software in its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The iOS 15 update for your iPhone and the macOS 12 Monterey update for your Mac will become available later in this year, with significant privacy and security improvements that will keep you safe from online threats.
What’s New?
Apple has some cool new features up its sleeve that will improve your end experience regarding privacy and security.
The Mail app, Apple’s default email client on mobile and desktop, is getting a lot of attention with the latest update. A new and interesting feature called Mail Privacy Protection will help you avoid tracking pixels embedded in emails that filter back your location and other information about you back to the sender.
Tracking pixels are widely used by marketers, newsletters, and others to determine how many people open their messages. Mail Privacy Protection stops this data gathering. While it won’t turn on by default, you can choose to use it when you upgrade to iOS15 and macOS 12 Monterey. The pixels are not exactly blocked, but they can’t gather information without your permission anymore. The feature is intended to preserve your user experience.
Another cool feature called App Privacy Report will allow you to keep a closer eye on the apps you’ve installed, notifying you about how frequently they access your location, media, camera, microphone, and contacts during the previous week.
It also tells you whether an app really needs the permissions that it’s asking you to give. The report will also let you know the domains the app is in contact with and how often.
Siri will also see some improvements in speech recognition and command processing, more of the work being done on your specific device to cut back on the amount of data sent to Apple.
iCloud+ is another new feature that you’re going to get along with iCloud. What grabs the attention here is the iCloud Private Relay tool, which is Apple’s version of a VPN. It will keep your location and data private.
Another new feature from iCloud+ is Hide My Email, which will enable you to generate an unlimited number of unique, random email addresses to sign up to new apps and services. Hide My Email will be built into Mail, iCloud, and Safari.
Last but not least, among the privacy and security features in iCloud+ is HomeKit Secure Video, which allows you to store encrypted footage from your security cameras securely. It will process smart recognition locally rather than sending it to the cloud. Actually, HomeKit Secure Video is already available, but more users will get access to it with the new iCloud+.
Apple Wallet is getting some attention too, expanding to storing your driver’s license or state ID in “participating states.” In addition, the updated app will be able to support a wider range of digital keys. Of course, the keys are going to need to be supported by your door lock manufacturer, employer, or car keys for you to use them.
When iOS 15 arrives this year, the Find My app will also feature a new series of functions. It will be able to detect iPhones even if they’re turned off or after a factory reset. The devices will keep transmitting a very low-power Bluetooth signal.
Along with the ones listed above, more privacy and security features will improve user experience, such as a more secure form of copy and paste and an indicator in macOS 12 Monterey to will let you know which apps are using your microphone or camera.
Source:
WIRED www.wired.com/new-privacy-security-features-ios-15-macos-monterey/
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