When Apple presented the M4 iPad Pro earlier this year, it stealthily added a new privacy feature to it, and this is known as “Secure Exclave.” Now, the company is bringing the same innovative privacy technology to the iPhone 16 models, which are powered by the A18 chip.
Details about Secure Exclave were initially disclosed by developer Guilherme Rambo. Essentially, Secure Exclave is a novel security component within the M4 chip (and now the A18), serving to enhance user privacy even further. On the M4 iPads, this component handles the display of the camera and microphone indicator on the OLED display, making it more difficult for malicious apps to utilize these sensors and bypass the indicator.
Guilherme Rambo shared an interesting fact: the M4 iPad Pro is the first device to support and utilize Apple’s new Secure Indicator Light (SIL) mechanism. When the microphone or camera is in use, the corresponding indicator dot is effectively rendered in hardware, thereby significantly reducing the likelihood that any malware or user space app would be able to access those sensors without the user’s knowledge.
macstn was able to confirm, based on the iOS 18 firmware, that Secure Exclave with the new SIL mechanism is also present in the A18 chip that powers all iPhone 16 models. It should be noted that Secure Exclave is distinct from Secure Enclave, which has been present on Apple devices since Touch ID was introduced to the iPhone 5s.
Apple first introduced the microphone and camera light indicators – those tiny orange and green dots that appear when these sensors are in operation – with iOS 14. These indicators were designed to heighten user awareness of when an app might be listening in or capturing video, aiming to prevent malicious apps from exploiting an iPhone’s hardware without user consent.
Historically, these indicators were linked to software triggers. However, the new Secure Indicator Light seems to further strengthen the system’s security by directly controlling its functionality through hardware components.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 16 commence on Friday, September 13, and the official launch is set for the following week on September 20.
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