How to Enable Lockdown Mode for Heightened Security on iPhone and iPad

With the release of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Apple added Lockdown Mode, which gives users a "extreme" level of security. This article tells you who Lockdown Mode is for, what it does, and how to turn it on.

In iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Apple gave iPhone and iPad users Lockdown Mode, a new security feature that can be turned on or off. It's meant to protect users who might be vulnerable to cyberattacks from private companies making spyware for the government.

Even though the feature is meant for the small number of people who could be targets of cyberattacks, like journalists, activists, and government workers, anyone can turn it on to get what Apple calls "extreme" security.

Lockdown Mode Protections

When Lockdown Mode is turned on, it disables or severely limits how features, apps, and websites work. Some of the ways Lockdown Mode protects you are:

• In the Messages app, you can't send attachments that aren't images, and you can't do things like see previews of links.
• FaceTime calls from people you've never talked to before are blocked. People you haven't invited before who try to invite you to use other Apple services are also blocked.
• Some complicated web technologies and browsing features, like just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation, are turned off in Lockdown Mode unless the user excludes a trusted site. This security works for Safari and any other web browser that uses WebKit on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
• Shared albums will be taken out of the Photos app, and new invitations to share albums will not be sent.
• When a device is locked, it can't connect to other wired devices or accessories.
• While Lockdown Mode is on, configuration profiles cannot be installed, and the device cannot sign up for mobile device management (MDM).

How to Enable Lockdown Mode on iPhone and iPad

Lockdown Mode isn't on by default on an iPhone or iPad, but you can turn it on by doing these things.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Privacy & Security.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the menu and under "Security," tap Lockdown Mode.
4. Read the on-screen information, then tap Turn On Lockdown Mode.
5. Review the list of protections. If you're still happy to go ahead, tap Turn On Lockdown Mode.

Apple has added a new category to its Security Bounty program to reward researchers who find ways to get around Lockdown Mode and help improve its security. This means that over time, new security features will be added.