The M4 iPad Pro Includes a Stealthy Safety Measure
Apple is taking measures to guard against applications that try to utilize your iPad's camera or microphone without authorization. Similar to how your Mac has an indicator light near the webcam that illuminates when the camera is engaged, your M4 iPad Pro will now exhibit an indicator light when apps access the microphone and camera. This discovery was made by Guilherme Rambo, a Brazil-based app developer and security researcher.
Rambo explains that this new feature is dubbed the Secure Indicator Light and is exclusive to the M4 iPad Pro. Rather than incorporating additional physical LEDs for this function, a few pixels on the screen light up to alert you that apps are using the camera or microphone. Rambo notes that this feature is incorporated directly into the hardware, making it more challenging for harmful software to infiltrate your iPad Pro's camera or microphone without your approval.
It's worth mentioning that this enhancement complements the software-based alerts that iOS sends when an app utilizes your device's microphone or camera. Currently, your iPhone and iPad display a green dot in the upper-right corner when the camera is active, and an orange dot when the microphone is being used, but these notifications depend on signals from the OS to function. Incorporating an additional layer of security through the more automatic hardware-connected Secure Indicator Light is uplifting, as it'll alert you about unchecked access even if malware finds a way to mask the software-based green or orange dots.
It's slightly disappointing that this feature is limited to the high-end iPad Pro. It's possible that it relies on the M4 chip, but let's hope other forthcoming iPads and iPhones receive this helpful feature as they get released.
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The M4 iPad Pro's new security feature, known as the Secure Indicator Light, is a tech advancement that utilizes a few pixels on the screen to alert users when apps access the device's camera or microphone. This tech addition to the M4 iPad Pro's hardware makes it harder for malicious software to access the device without authorization, similar to the security light on Mac computers.
