Night mode is an automatic setting which takes advantage of the new wide-angle camera that's in the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models. It's equipped with a larger sensor that is able to let in more light, allowing for brighter photos when the light is low.
macOS Catalina Now Available
Apple to Limit Accelerometer and Gyroscope Access in Safari on iOS 12.2 for Privacy Reasons
Last month, Apple released iOS 12.2 in beta with several new features, including the Apple News app in Canada, a redesigned TV remote in Control Center, support for adding HomeKit-enabled TVs in the Home app, and more.
The upcoming software update also introduces a new Motion & Orientation Access toggle under Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security. Toggled off by default, this new setting must be turned on in order for websites to display features that rely on motion data from the gyroscope and accelerometer in the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
To test this, we loaded the What Web Can Do Today website on an iPhone running the first beta of iOS 12.2. With the Motion & Orientation Access setting toggled on, the page shows real-time accelerometer and gyroscope data from the iPhone. With the setting toggled off, no motion data is shown.
Another example is Apple's motion-based iPhone experience site. This page normally allows you to tilt your actual iPhone to swivel the iPhone XS Max on the screen with tech specs. With Motion & Orientation Access toggled off, however, only a static image of the iPhone XS Max is shown without tech specs.
This privacy-focused change could be in response to a WIRED report last year that claimed thousands of websites have unmitigated access to motion, orientation, proximity, and light sensor data on mobile devices. Software engineer Felix Krause also filed a radar and notified Apple's security team about this matter in 2017.
As noted by Digiday, the setting could have implications for AR/VR advertising:
It's quite possible Apple could tweak how this feature works in time for the public release of iOS 12.2. Perhaps the setting will be toggled on by default in a subsequent beta, for example, or Safari could prompt users for permission to access motion data when necessary as it does with location data.
The upcoming software update also introduces a new Motion & Orientation Access toggle under Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security. Toggled off by default, this new setting must be turned on in order for websites to display features that rely on motion data from the gyroscope and accelerometer in the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
To test this, we loaded the What Web Can Do Today website on an iPhone running the first beta of iOS 12.2. With the Motion & Orientation Access setting toggled on, the page shows real-time accelerometer and gyroscope data from the iPhone. With the setting toggled off, no motion data is shown.
Another example is Apple's motion-based iPhone experience site. This page normally allows you to tilt your actual iPhone to swivel the iPhone XS Max on the screen with tech specs. With Motion & Orientation Access toggled off, however, only a static image of the iPhone XS Max is shown without tech specs.
This privacy-focused change could be in response to a WIRED report last year that claimed thousands of websites have unmitigated access to motion, orientation, proximity, and light sensor data on mobile devices. Software engineer Felix Krause also filed a radar and notified Apple's security team about this matter in 2017.
As noted by Digiday, the setting could have implications for AR/VR advertising:
For example, Samsung's "Samsung Within" web-based interactive experience, developed by R/GA to promote the hardware brand's legacy and its Galaxy Note 9 phone, uses the accelerometer to let people explore the night sky.These AR/VR experiences may have to rely on fallback versions that people can navigate with swipe gestures instead, but this largely defeats the purpose of motion-based, interactive campaigns.
"It's definitely going to break things," said Kai Tier, executive technology director at R/GA.
It's quite possible Apple could tweak how this feature works in time for the public release of iOS 12.2. Perhaps the setting will be toggled on by default in a subsequent beta, for example, or Safari could prompt users for permission to access motion data when necessary as it does with location data.
Tag: Safari
[ 32 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
9 months ago
Not sure how much this would preserve privacy, but at the same time I can't imagine accelerometer data is very largely used in mobile web dev in the first place.
Sounds more just like security theatre being put on by Apple, but if anyone out there knows something I don't, by all means feel free to enlighten me.
According to the WIRED report: ”the information could fuel various types of attacks, like using ambient light data to make inferences about a user's browsing, or using motion sensor data as a sort of keylogger to deduce things like PIN numbers”
So this seems like it could be a potential threat to privacy and the security of your personal information. Albeit a very small one.
9 months ago
One can hope that a pop-up appears when a website requires gyroscope access. Without one, and the setting off by default, many consumers would be at loss since most wouldn’t know how to turn it on.
9 months ago
This article seems to be misleading. It doesn't seem to me that Apple is limiting access; it seems to just be making that feature "opt in" rather than "opt out".
9 months ago
Not sure how much this would preserve privacy, but at the same time I can't imagine accelerometer data is very largely used in mobile web dev in the first place.
Sounds more just like security theatre being put on by Apple, but if anyone out there knows something I don't, by all means feel free to enlighten me.
It’s legitimate, there are algorithms to figure out your keystrokes based on gyro and accelerometer data. MIT demo’d it a few years ago IIRC.
Update: done is 2011
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2011/10/researchers-can-keylog-your-pc-using-your-iphones-accelerometer/
9 months ago
Not sure how much this would preserve privacy, but at the same time I can't imagine accelerometer data is very largely used in mobile web dev in the first place.
Sounds more just like security theatre being put on by Apple, but if anyone out there knows something I don't, by all means feel free to enlighten me.
I think there's some potential for collected accelerometer/gyroscope data to be exploited with respect to creating motion/location profiles of a phone user. It depends on the accuracy and drift of the sensors, time references, signal processing techniques employed, required accuracy, etc.
I wouldn't be shocked if a very clever individual/company could create something interesting of value (ie, sellable processed user information) from collected raw sensor data.
I'm glad Apple is thinking ahead with respect to the possibilities and privacy implications.
9 months ago
Interesting. The limitations to interactive ad or experiential campaigns would be frustrating for many companies that have things in the works. But this would provide another potential opportunity for Apple, which they really should look into: an internally-hosted and -approved ad platform. Apple should offer a way to have interactive ads that rely on iOS device information to the company for review and eventual hosting once approved. This way, they keep control of where that data goes (I think many trust Apple more than any other company to keep the data secure and only used for the purpose of displaying the experience), and Apple can take a reasonable fee for the privacy and availability of such a service that it hosts, adding another service-based revenue stream. It's a good way to capitalize on its user base without "selling" its customer information... Instead, they're just getting paid to be a watchdog over your private device metrics to let you experience more types of media online worry-free.
They had that. It was called iAd and it was a major flop.
9 months ago
Is knowing which direction my phone is facing really an invasion of my privacy?
Yes. You can identify people by measuring their walking gate. Google did it a few years ago
https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/blog/2018/05/this-machine-learning-algorithm-identifies-you-by-your-walking-style/
9 months ago
Glad this is something that is off by default. Since most people wouldn't even be aware of it and leave it on. Not due to preference. Just because they don't know any better.
I know it sounds like nothing. Accessing motion and orientation data. If someone can use it. Someone will figure out a way to abuse it.
I know it sounds like nothing. Accessing motion and orientation data. If someone can use it. Someone will figure out a way to abuse it.
9 months ago
Wait - you can access ambient light data on a website? I was doing some ludicrously complicated calculations from GPS data to determine if the sun was up or not at your location to determine whether to be in "day mode" or "night mode"...
[ Read All Comments ]
Two deals have hit Apple's latest line of iMacs, including both the 21.5-inch and 27-inch Retina iMac models from Early 2019. Both of these sales can be found on Amazon. Additionally, Apple's...
Two smart home accessories gained HomeKit support today, including the Arlo Ultra security camera and the Netatmo Weather Station.
Arlo Ultra
While users can already control Arlo Ultra cameras...
Following a successful debut on Kickstarter, Sphero's newest robot, the RVR, is now available for purchase worldwide.
The RVR is a fully programmable and customizable RC car that's...
Apple is testing different Face ID prototypes that would allow a smaller notch to be used in its 2020 iPhones, according to leaker and concept artist Ben Geskin.
Geskin previously created a...
Tim Cook gave the keynote speech at the Ceres 30th Anniversary Gala in New York City on Monday night. Ceres is a sustainability nonprofit organization, and Cook was invited to share Apple's...
Music software company Serato has updated DJ Pro and DJ Lite to bring full support for macOS Catalina, which ditches iTunes in favor of a new standalone Music app.
The elimination of iTunes...
Yelp has updated its Apple Watch app for watchOS 6, introducing a new modern interface and leveraging the device's new integrated compass, which should make finding the nearest coffee shop or...
Apple today released a new supplemental update for macOS Catalina, nearly one week after releasing the first supplemental update and two weeks after the launch of macOS Catalina.
The update can...
