“Many assistive devices will automatically turn on the setting to allow USB devices the first time they’re connected,” the company says.
Toggle this option to on (green) and your accessories will function the exact same way they did before iOS 11.4.1.Īpple says this might be a good idea for people who use assistive devices with their iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.
Just go to Settings -> Face ID (or Touch ID) & Passcode -> USB Accessories. If you’re not concerned about someone potentially breaking their way into your iOS device, you can disable the new security measure immediately. It’s easy to turn off USB Restricted Mode This is going to vary from accessory to accessory. iOS devices will charge normally when connected to a USB power adapter, but if you plug in a gadget that normally delivers power over USB, you might have to unlock your iPhone or iPad first before things work (and charge) like normal. After that - for as long as it’s attached - the accessory will remain connected and operational even if your iOS device is locked again.Īccessories might not be able to charge your iPhone unless you unlock it firstĪpple notes that when a USB accessory is blocked from connecting to your iPhone, charging might also be prevented as a result. So you’ll need to unlock your iPhone or iPad to connect a USB accessory and get it working. Once you’ve installed iOS 11.4.1, Apple automatically turns on USB Restricted Mode right away.
USB Restricted Mode is enabled by default after the update
USB Restricted Mode is active when the “USB Accessories” toggle is disabled / on the left. “If you don’t first unlock your password-protected iOS device - or you haven’t unlocked and connected it to a USB accessory within the past hour - your iOS device won’t communicate with the accessory or computer, and in some cases, it might not charge,” reads Apple’s support page on the security feature. This hour timeout should theoretically stop devices like GrayKey (which plugs into an iPhone and cracks the passcode within a few hours) from working successfully. USB Restricted Mode works like this: after an hour of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch sitting without being unlocked, iOS will basically cut off the Lightning port and limit it to charging only. Now, Apple is trying to eliminate this method of gaining entry to a recovered or confiscated device. But companies have seemingly found a way of avoiding those safeguards via USB and the Lightning port. iOS has built-in security features that prevent constant passcode guesses - such as when it locks down your device after several incorrect attempts.
The company hasn’t said as much, but it’s believed that USB Restricted Mode is Apple’s effort to combat devices like GrayKey that are specially designed to help law enforcement crack an iOS device’s passcode and retrieve data that would normally be guarded by encryption. This seemingly small change goes a long way in blocking tools used by law enforcement to crack passcodes and circumvent Apple’s encryption and built-in measures designed to shield sensitive user data.Īpple describes it as a new “security protection” that’s introduced as part of iOS 11.4.1. USB Restricted Mode prevents USB accessories that plug into the Lightning port from making data connections with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch if your iOS device has been locked for over an hour. The update is available to all macOS Big Sur users and is not limited solely to the affected machines.Apple quietly introduced a significant privacy safeguard as part of the new iOS 11.4.1 update that was released on July 9th.
You can now update your Mac to the latest version of macOS Big Sur by heading to the Software Update menu in the System Preferences app. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t provide additional information about this bug, so it’s unclear whether some Mac users have experienced “damage” when using third-party USB-C hubs and docks.
MacOS Big Sur 11.2.2 prevents MacBook Pro (2019 or later) and MacBook Air (2020 or later) models from incurring damage when they are connected to certain third-party, non-compliant powered USB-C hubs and docks. Apple says the update “prevents” certain models from “incurring damage” when they are connected to third-party USB-C hubs and docks.Īpple explains that the update prevents 2019 or later MacBook Pro and 2020 or later MacBook Air models from suffering damage when used with “third-party, non-compliant powered USB-C” accessories. to the public today with a fix for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air users.