WWDC 2023 | Apple details new privacy, safety features

(Image: Apple)

Alongside major hardware and software announcements, Apple revealed new privacy and safety features across its devices. These include improvements to Lockdown mode, updates to Safari's Private Browsing and a lot more. Here's everything Apple announced.

(Image: Apple)

Apple announced a significant update to Safari's Private Browsing feature that improves protection against known trackers on web, and fingerprint protections that hide your print data from sites.

You can also lock your private browsing tabs with your fingerprint or password for greater protection.

(Image: Apple)

Apple has introduced a new embedded photo picker for third-party apps that want access to your library. When third-party apps ask for full permission for a user's photo library, Apple will show you exactly what is being shared with them.

You can also choose to provide limited access or pick and choose specific photos you want to share while hiding the rest of the photos library from the app.

Apple will remove "extra information" from URLs that are used, "to track users across devices". This will be automatically done with links shared in Messages and Mail. As a bonus, the link will still work normally and navigate you to the website.

Developers can add more accurate privacy labels to their apps using new tools that give them more information on data practices in third-party Software Development Kits (SDKs).

Apple says that this also improves the integrity of the software supply chain, "by supporting signatures for third-party SDKs to add another layer of protection against abuse".

(Image: Apple)

Apple will now show sensitive content labels on photos received on Messages that contain nudity. This will also work when sending or receiving content through Apple's AirDrop and Facetime video messages. It will cover the new Contact Posters and Photo picker as well.

The company says the feature will be opt-in and all processing for identifying sensitive content will be done on the device itself. These warnings will be turned on by default for child accounts in family sharing plans.

(Image: Apple)

You can create groups of contacts to share passwords and passkeys with. Everyone in the group will have the option to edit passwords to keep them up to date. Sharing is done through the iCloud Keychain, which is end-to-end encrypted.

One time verification codes received in Apple's Mail app will be auto-filled in the Safari browser.

Lockdown mode which locks down your iPhone from attacks by limiting device functionality and improving defenses will now scan for spyware on user devices that maybe targeted because of their designation or status.

Improvements include better wireless connection defaults, safer content handling and sharing, sandboxing and optimizations to network security. Turning on Lockdown mode on your iPhone, will also turn it on for a paired Apple Watch.