Latest news with #CommunicationSafety
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Apple will block your FaceTime call if it detects NUDITY as part of new update
The days of sharing intimate moments with your partner via a screen may be drawing to a close. Apple's upcoming operating system, iOS 26, includes a controversial update to FaceTime, the company's video chat app. When FaceTime detects nudity or even someone starting to undress, it will automatically turn off video and audio. As part of the new feature, users will have the chance to restart video and audio with a tap of the screen. But the interruption could prove a turn-off for people in long-distance relationships who rely on the software to get steamy. And many commentators on social media were left unimpressed. One Reddit user said: 'Long distance couples in shambles, while another said: 'wtf. All my calls end in undressing.' Another person joked: 'Well that's one way to end a work meeting early.' Apple's update to its FaceTime software was first noticed by X user @iDeviceHelpus and reported by Apple fan site 9to5mac. As screenshots reveal, when FaceTime detects someone undressing, it will show a warning message to them. 'Audio and video are paused because you may be showing something sensitive,' the message reads. It continues: 'If you feel uncomfortable, you should end the call.' It then gives users two options – 'Resume Audio and Video' or 'End Call'. When Apple announced iOS 26 last month, it detailed the feature, called Communication Safety, in a blog post. It said: 'Communication Safety expands to intervene when nudity is detected in FaceTime video calls, and to blur out nudity in Shared Albums in Photos.' But it was widely interpreted as only a tool for child accounts that would help protect minors when talking to adults online. As screenshots reveal, when FaceTime detects someone undressing, it will show a warning message to them Reportedly, the tool is on when two adults are video chatting as well – although it's unclear whether this is intentional or a glitch. MailOnline has contacted Apple for more information, although the firm is usually tight-lipped on upcoming features. Apple does stress, however, that it 'never store[s] the content of FaceTime calls' in the cloud – so people don't have to worry about Apple staff snooping on them; instead, nudity is detected by machine learning, which is a type of AI. The firm says: 'Communication Safety uses on-device machine learning to analyze photo and video attachments and determine if a photo or video appears to contain nudity. 'Because the photos and videos are analyzed on your child's device, Apple doesn't receive an indication that nudity was detected and doesn't get access to the photos or videos as a result.' It's worth bearing in mind that the feature is part of iOS 26, so the majority of users won't have it yet. Revealed to great fanfare last month, iOS 26 is currently available as part of a 'beta test' – where a select bunch of people use it early to uncover any bugs or issues before its general release. iOS 26 will officially become widely available this autumn as a free software update for iPhone 11 and later, likely sometime in September. In June, Apple revealed a new operating system for its iPhones called iOS 26 - including features such as 'Liquid Glass' The biggest change coming with iOS 26 is a redesign called Liquid Glass, which gives apps and other aspects of the user interface a translucent, glass-like design. Liquid Glass will 'bring greater focus to content and deliver a new level of vitality across controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and more', the tech giant said. However, Liquid Glass has not been met with enthusiasm by Apple's dedicated fans, with one calling it 'the ugliest thing Apple has ever done'. Another person said on social media that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs 'would've fired everyone at Apple' for coming up with it. iOS 26 also introduces custom chat backgrounds in the Messages app, a new Games app, and a tool called Live Translation which translates calls in real time.
The Sun
04-07-2025
- The Sun
New iPhone ‘nudity-spotting' feature FREEZES video calls if someone strips off
THE NEW iPhone 'nudity-spotting' feature freezes video calls if someone strips off. The new technology is one of the biggest updates iPhone users have received in recent history. 1 The new feature for iPhone users and it's not all because of the stunning Liquid Glass design. During the premiere of iOS 26, Apple announced numerous changes to key apps like Safari and Messages, but barely mentioned the various quality-of-life updates. One of the updates that wasn't mentioned is FaceTime's new ability to freeze the audio and video in a call if someone starts taking their clothes off. Initially meant as part of Apple's children protection tools, that feature was discovered in the iOS 26 Developer Beta by iDeviceHelp on X. Protecting your children online Along with the iOS 26 announcement, Apple shared the many new tools and updated features meant to help parents protect their children online. Communication Safety was one of the updated features, which includes nudity detection in FaceTime video calls and Shared Albums in Photos. That feature is supposed to be only active on child accounts. However, it appears a similar feature is active for all iOS 26 Developer Beta users. Whenever FaceTime detects nudity during a video call, it freezes the audio and video of the call and shows a warning screen. There's then an option to resume the video and audio with one button or end the call. There's no information about the circumstances under which the feature was discovered reports Phone Arena. Privacy concerns A feature that could detect nudity during a video call might raise some privacy concerns among users. However, Apple has a good explanation of how the current Communication Safety features work. In brief, Apple doesn't know anything about your calls because the whole monitoring process happens on-device. The full list of iOS 26 supported devices Sadly not all iPhone models are getting this upgrade but here are the ones that can. iPhone 16e iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhone 14 Plus iPhone 14 Pro iPhone 14 Pro Max iPhone 13 iPhone 13 mini iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro Max iPhone 12 iPhone 12 mini iPhone 12 Pro iPhone 12 Pro Max iPhone 11 iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max iPhone SE (3rd gen) iPhone SE (2nd gen) But, how many times have you answered the phone only to be met with silence, a spammer, or a sinister scammer? Probably too many to count. Apple has come up with a solution for iPhone owners called Call Screening in their new update. The feature works like Live Voicemail, a 2024 feature that transcribes voicemails in real time – giving you a chance to answer them. Crooks can record you saying certain phrases, and even create AI "fakes" of your voice to use for future scams.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Yahoo
iOS 26 can freeze your FaceTime video if it detects nudity
The developer beta for iOS 26 has been out for a few weeks, and as always,tech sleuths are uncovering features and details that weren't explained during WWDC. Among the latest discoveries stirring up conversation online is a safety and privacy feature for FaceTime that blurs your feed when it detects you in a state of undress. Should FaceTime detect nudity, it will display a message reading "Audio and video are paused because you may be showing something sensitive. If you feel uncomfortable, you should end the call." Originally discovered by X user @iDeviceHelpus, the feature is off by default and can be enabled in FaceTime settings under "Sensitive Content Warning." The feature reads, "Detect nude photos and videos before they are viewed on your device, and receive guidance to help make a safe choice. Apple does not have access to the photos or videos."It seems the feature is intended for child accounts, though it can currently be enabled in the beta for adults as well. The Apple support page for the company's "Communication Safety" features reads, "Communication Safety uses on-device machine learning to analyze photo and video attachments and determine if a photo or video appears to contain nudity. Because the photos and videos are analyzed on your child's device, Apple doesn't receive an indication that nudity was detected and doesn't get access to the photos or videos as a result." Features in beta come and go, as testing and feedback are partly the point of the beta system, so this may or may not see broader adoption. The public beta for iOS 26 is slated for July.
Tom's Guide
03-07-2025
- Tom's Guide
iOS 26 beta is freezing FaceTime when it detects nudity — what we know so far
There are a lot of big changes coming to iPhones courtesy of iOS 26. And thanks to the release of the iOS 26 developer beta, people across the world have been uncovering things Apple didn't think to tell us about. As it turns out, FaceTime is now set to freeze anytime it notices someone on camera has started to undress. Apple did announce this, sort of. iOS 26 comes with a bunch of new tools for child accounts, and one of them is designed to "intervene" whenever nudity is detected in FaceTime video calls — alongside a similar feature that blurs out any nudity detected in Shared Albums. But as it turns out, this feature is also affecting adult accounts. As discovered by iDeviceHelp on X, FaceTime will freeze all video and audio if it detects any kind of nudity. This is followed by a warning message stating that "Audio and Video are paused because you may be showing something sensitive. If you feel uncomfortable, you should end the call." Users are then given the option to hang up, or resume the audio and video feed. It's not clear whether this is a bug, since iOS 26 is still very firmly in beta, or if Apple is deliberately turning on sensitive content warnings without user input. Since the Sensitive Content warning is an option in FaceTime's app settings, but is switched off by default, I'm guessing it's the former. For those worried about corporate snooping, Apple's support pages do claim that the Communication Safety uses on-device machine learning to analyze photo and video attachments and determine if a photo or video appears to contain nudity," while also noting that this is built for child accounts rather than everyone. Apple also notes that "because the photos and videos are analyzed on your child's device, Apple doesn't receive an indication that nudity was detected and doesn't get access to the photos or videos as a result." Meaning Apple doesn't actually see the contents of the call. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. It's not clear what the threshold for the sensitive content warnings are, but since this is designed to protect children my guess is that they'll be pretty strict. Which is a shame if you're an adult caught up in the bug, trying to show off whatever body parts you feel the need to show. Even if it's something as relatively innocent as a new tattoo or flexing after the gym. Hopefully this will be fixed in a future version of the iOS 26 beta, ahead of the official launch later this year. But in the meantime, if you're affected by this, maybe switch to another one of the best video chat apps.
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Business Standard
03-07-2025
- Business Standard
Apple to enable FaceTime call nudity filter on iPhones with iOS 26: Report
A new safety feature in Apple's iOS 26 beta reportedly allows FaceTime to automatically freeze calls when nudity is detected on camera. According to a report by 9to5Mac, the feature was introduced as part of Apple's Communication Safety tools and is designed to block inappropriate content during video calls. Initially announced at Apple's WWDC 2025, iOS 26 includes a broad set of family-oriented tools for child accounts. The FaceTime safety feature appears to be one such tool, but the report suggests it may extend beyond child accounts to adult users as well. FaceTime safety tool in iOS 26 The feature builds on Apple's Communication Safety system, which was first designed to blur explicit images in Messages and Shared Albums for children. In FaceTime, if the app detects someone beginning to undress during a video call, it will instantly pause both video and audio. An on-screen alert then informs the user of the detected nudity and provides two options: resume the call or end it. 9to5Mac highlighted a post on X that shared the warning message. However, it remains unclear whether this feature is intentionally applied to all users or if its activation in adult accounts is a bug in the beta version. While the move may raise privacy concerns, Apple says the feature is privacy-first by design. Communication Safety explained Communication Safety relies on on-device machine learning to analyse photo and video attachments for nudity. Since the detection takes place entirely on the user's device, Apple does not receive any notification or access to the images or videos. The company has maintained that this local processing ensures complete user privacy, even when nudity is detected, Apple remains unaware of any content. With iOS 26, Apple is bringing multiple updates across its ecosystem, from a new Liquid Glass design to major enhancements in Messages, Wallet and CarPlay. The expansion of its safety tools signals Apple's ongoing focus on user protection, especially for younger users, while attempting to balance privacy and oversight.
