Apple update may let users know if boss is monitoring their phone
A lot of companies equip employees with mobile phones so they can check work email and keep in touch out of the office. But this perk comes with a catch: the company can monitor or restrict your activities on the device they own and maintain.
Now Apple reportedly is going to make it easy for people to know if their phone use is being monitored by their employer. According to developers and industry insiders, the next update to Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 9.3, will include a message to let users know that their phone is being supervised.
Tech blog 9to5Mac reports: "Although its not a secret that most company-administered iPhones are locked down in some way, current iOS versions do not prominently indicate if this kind of control is taking place on a device. With iOS 9.3, Apple is giving the user ultimate transparency in how their device is being exposed to their employer."
The feature was shared on Reddit by user MaGNeTiX who was testing iOS 9.3, currently in beta. The user said that the changes to supervised devices include a message that appears on the phone's lock screen and in the "About" page in Settings.
MaGNeTiX shared a screenshot of the feature on Reddit on Wednesday.
The feature would be available for iOS devices that are managed through Mobile Device Management (MDM). The feature is being viewed as another step in Apple's push for enhanced user privacy and security, which comes in the midst of the company's ongoing dispute with the FBI over the San Bernardino shooter's locked iPhone.
MDM would also reportedly allow corporate supervisors to bar access to certain apps.
Apple has not said when it will roll out iOS 9.3, but the company is expected to announce a number of new products and updates at an event in mid-March.