Lockdown Mode: Explained: iPhone’s lockdown mode and how it protects against ‘rare and sophisticated’ hacking

Several leaders from the opposition parties in India have claimed that they were targets of ‘state-sponsored’ hacks. The leaders received a notification alert on their iPhones that their device may have been a target of a possible state-sponsored hacking. iPhone comes with a lockdown modewhich when enabled can protect users from “rare and sophisticated” hacks.We explain what is Lockdown mode, how to enable it and other details.

What is Lockdown Mode?

Apple introduced Lockdown mode in 2022 with iOS 16. Lockdown Mode is an extreme security feature for Apple devices that is designed to protect against the most sophisticated cyberattacks. It is only recommended for users who believe they are at high risk of being targeted, such as journalists, activists, and government officials. Apple clearly states on its support page that most people will never be targets of these attacks.
Which is why it is an optional mode available to all but recommended that not everyone should enable it. That’s because the iPhone doesn’t function like a ‘normal’ iPhone. To ensure that the attack is restricted, certain apps, websites and features will be strictly limited for security, and some experiences may not be available at all.

Does the iPhone function ‘normally’ in lockdown mode?

Not really. While phone calls and plain text messages will continue to work while Lockdown Mode is enabled, other apps functionality becomes different. For instance, most message attachment types will be blocked, other than certain images, video and audio. Some features, such as links and link previews, will be unavailable.
Even while browsing Safari, certain complex web technologies will be blocked, which may cause some websites to load more slowly or to not operate correctly. Images may not appear whereas web fonts could also not be displayed.
FaceTime calls will be blocked unless you’ve previously called that person or contact. Features such as SharePlay and Live Photos are unavailable.
When sharing photos, all location information is not displayed. Furthermore, shared albums are removed from the Photos app, and new Shared Album invitations are blocked.
If you want to use Wi-FI, then the iPhone won’t automatically join non-secure Wi-Fi networks and will disconnect from a non-secure Wi-Fi network when you turn on Lockdown Mode.

How to turn on Lockdown mode on iPhone

Follow these steps to enable Lockdown mode on iPhone