Apple introduces Safety Check, an iPhone privacy feature for victims of domestic abuse: WWDC 2022

At WWDC 2022 on Monday, Apple announced a new feature in iOS 16 called Safety Check that centers on the privacy (and safety) of victims of domestic abuse.

iPhone users can quickly review who they’ve shared access with and what they’re sharing, such as location, calendar, and specific apps with Safety Check. Users can also quickly revoke access to others to protect their privacy.

Safety Check for iOS 16.
Credit: Apple

Safety Check displays a list of contacts a user has shared access with and a rundown of what is being shared with them. For example, users can stop sharing their location with an individual user from this list.

This new security feature also comes with an emergency reset option, which immediately resets access for all people and apps you’ve shared with. This includes resetting system privacy permissions on all apps, stopping location sharing, and protecting access to messages which may be going to multiple devices.

Here’s how to revoke access from individual contacts.
Credit: Apple

In the age of the cloud, privacy and security issues are paramount. And Safety Check actually seems very well thought out so far.

If you’ve experienced domestic or intimate partner violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence hotline at 1−800−799−7233. Additional resources are available on its website.