‘They can literally have control of your phone’: Woman issues warning about ‘lethal’ iOS 18 update
An Apple customer is going viral on TikTok after warning users about the potential downsides to iPhone’s newest iOS18 update.
Beshell (@mocha_beauty98) says that she was on a FaceTime call with her sister when she noticed that fellow iPhone users with the update can “hack” into your phone.
“Yo this iOS 18 update is funny as hell, right?” Beshell said.
Beshell adds that, while on the call, she started screen sharing her phone with her sister. When she had access, Beshell's sister was able to view her messages, photos, and other private information.
“One of the iOS18 updates is that if you’re on FaceTime with someone whose phone is also updated, they can literally have control of your phone,” Beshell said.
While Beshell says she doesn’t have any incriminating or embarrassing information she was hiding, she was still shocked that her sister could see everything.
In the end, Beshell said she turned off screen sharing. This made it so her sister could no longer look at the messages and documents on her phone. As of Wednesday, Beshell’s clip had amassed nearly 670,000 views.
Can fellow iOS18 users really hack into your phone?
Not quite. Beshell confirmed in the now-disabled comments section of her video that in order for her sister to see into her phone, the content creator has to give her a thumbs-up.
Apple confirms this on its website, too. So while it’s true that someone else can technically “control” your phone, they can’t do so without your say-so.
Apple also said that before someone can remotely control your screen, their information has to be saved in your contacts in order to “help protect your data and privacy.”
“During a one-to-one FaceTime video or audio call, you can remotely control someone else’s screen or allow a trusted person to remotely control yours,” Apple’s website says. “The person controlling the screen can help with an issue or demonstrate how to use an app.”
To request “remote control,” both participants need to have iOS18 or later already installed on their phones. From there, on the FaceTime app, you simply tap the window showing the shared screen while on a call. Next, you’ll see an emoji-type figure show up on your screen if the other call participant accepts your request. Then you can approve their request and—as Beshell said—give someone else access to your phone.
@mocha_beauty98 I see what yall was tryna do apple but yall just flat out MESSY ASF ???? #ios18 #apple #phones #technology ♬ original sound - Beshell ???? | Content Creator
“I see what yall was tryna do apple but yall just flat out MESSY ASF,” she wrote in the accompanying video caption.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Beshell via TikTok comment and to Apple by email.
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