WWDC 2022: Apple's Safety Check aims to help people in abusive relationships
Apple is rolling out a new feature that will help its customers quickly review and restrict who has access to their devices, accounts and applications. The Safety Check feature is designed to help people who may be in abusive relationships.
It's not uncommon for people to share access to their devices and accounts with others, Apple senior manager Katie Skinner said during the WWDC 2022 keynote on Monday.
"In abusive relationships, this can threaten personal safety and make it harder to get help," she said.
Apple has been working with organizations that support victims of abuse, such as the National Network To End Domestic Violence and the National Center for Victims of Crime, to design the new Safety Check, which is found in iOS Settings.
First look: Apple's WWDC 2022 in pictures
There, users can quickly review and reset access they've granted to others. You can stop sharing your location via FindMy and reset privacy permissions for all applications. The feature will sign you out of your iCloud account on all devices aside from the one in your hand. It will restrict messages and FaceTime to the device in your hand.
Along the same lines, Apple earlier this year started to address privacy and safety issues related to AirTags. Those moves followed reports that the devices have been used for malicious and criminal activity.