Lockdown Mode security for Apple devices

Lockdown Mode is an optional, extreme protection that’s designed for the very few individuals who, because of who they are or what they do, might be personally targeted by some of the most sophisticated digital threats such as targeted mercenary spyware. Most people are never targeted by attacks of this nature.

When Lockdown Mode is turned on, a device doesn’t function the way it typically does. To reduce the attack surface that potentially could be exploited, certain apps, websites, and features are strictly limited for security, and some experiences might not be available at all.

Lockdown Mode is available in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, and watchOS 10, or later. Additional protections are available in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14, and updates to watchOS 10.1, or later. To take advantage of additional features of Lockdown Mode, devices should be updated to the latest operating system. For more information, see the Apple Support article About Lockdown Mode.

Lockdown Mode makes tradeoffs for increased security at the expense of functionality, performance, or both. These tradeoffs impact:

Background services
Connectivity
Device management
FaceTime
GameCenter
Mail
Messages
Photos
Safari
System settings
WebKit

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Apple Platform Security

Lockdown Mode security for Apple devices