With the release of iPhone 16, its A18 chip has brought many eye-catching upgrades, but Apple seems to have “ignored” a key feature in its publicity – Secure Exclave technology. According to foreign media reports, this technology was first used on the Apple M4 chip and is now integrated into the A18 chip of iPhone 16.
The main goal of Secure Exclave is to further enhance user privacy protection, which is in line with Apple’s continuous efforts in privacy protection in recent years. The technology is responsible for controlling the “Secure Indicator Light” (SIL) function, which has shown its effectiveness on the M4-powered iPad, through hardware control of the microphone and camera indicator lights, clearly informing users of the working status of these devices.
Since the launch of iOS 14, microphone and camera indicators have become standard in the system, aiming to remind users to pay attention to the use of these sensitive devices and prevent unauthorized monitoring or abuse of application permissions. However, the traditional software control mode is at risk of being maliciously bypassed, and Secure Exclave significantly enhances the security of these indicators through hardware-level implementation.
It is not known whether Secure Exclave has other functions, as Apple is keeping it secret. This low-key approach may be to avoid providing too much information to potential criminals and to protect the effectiveness of the new security measures.
Regardless, Apple’s determination to deploy the latest security measures on all its new devices is worthy of praise. Combined with the newly launched Private Cloud Compute feature, the technology’s ability to protect data security during cloud AI processing makes the iPhone 16 expected to be the most secure iPhone to date.
Pre-sales for the iPhone 16 will start on September 13, and the official release date is scheduled for September 20.
