This new iOS 26 FaceTime privacy feature is proving divisive, but here’s why the controversy might be overblown – 1v1 Video Chat & LIve Streaming & Influencer Subscription

By Alex Blake

TechRadar the technology experts

Search TechRadar

View Profile

België (Nederlands)

Deutschland

North America

US (English)

Australasia

New Zealand

Tech Radar Pro

Tech Radar Gaming

Amazon Prime Day
Back to school
Nintendo Switch 2

NYT Wordle today
Best laptop
Best web hosting

Recommended reading

iOS 18.5 will soon deliver a handy Screen Time upgrade for parents – plus 4 other useful features

I get annoying spam calls all the time, so I can’t wait for the Call Screening feature in iOS 26

Smartwatches
watchOS 26 could help protect your privacy with this secret new Apple Watch setting

WhatsApp has just dropped these 9 new features – including 2 that I’m not happy about

This iPhone feature has been blamed for the Signalgate fiasco – here’s how to avoid your own group chat nightmare

Signal blasts Microsoft over Recall privacy failings, as secure messaging app is forced to fudge a way of blocking the controversial Windows 11 feature

iOS 26 is giving the iPhone’s Camera app an upgrade I’ve been waiting years for

This new iOS 26 FaceTime privacy feature is proving divisive, but here’s why the controversy might be overblown

Alex Blake

3 July 2025

Censorship or just a bug?

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Shutterstock ID: 1680243655)

Apple has added more child protection features to FaceTime in iOS 26
The latest one blurs videos when it detects nudity is present
It currently affects adult accounts too, but that might be a bug

Apple has been adding parental control features that are designed to protect minors for years now, and it looks like a new one has just been found in the iOS 26 beta. Yet it’s turning out to be pretty controversial, as there are concerns that it could be something of an overreach on Apple’s part.

Specifically, the new feature has been added to the FaceTime video-calling app. When FaceTime detects that someone is undressing on the call, it pauses the call and instead displays a warning message that reads: “Audio and video are paused because you may be showing something sensitive. If you feel uncomfortable, you should end the call.” There are then buttons labeled “Resume Audio and Video,” and “End Call.”
At its WWDC 2025 in June, Apple published a press release covering new ways its systems will protect children and young people online. The release included a feature that lines up the new FaceTime behavior: “Communication Safety expands to intervene when nudity is detected in FaceTime video calls, and to blur out nudity in Shared Albums in Photos.”

You may like

iOS 18.5 will soon deliver a handy Screen Time upgrade for parents – plus 4 other useful features

I get annoying spam calls all the time, so I can’t wait for the Call Screening feature in iOS 26

watchOS 26 could help protect your privacy with this secret new Apple Watch setting

The actual implementation was noted by iDeviceHelp on X. Below the post, @user_101524 added that the feature can be found in the Settings app in iOS 26 by going to Apps > FaceTime > Sensitive Content Warning.

By default, the feature is disabled, so it needs to be switched on by the user, but that hasn’t stopped it from stirring up online debate…
Generating controversy

(Image credit: iDeviceHelp / Future)
While this new feature might seem sensible, it has actually generated a degree of controversy. That’s because right now, it seems to affect all users of iOS 26, not just those who are using a child account. This has ruffled some feathers among people who feel that Apple is potentially censoring the behavior of consenting adults.
As well as that, some users have questioned how Apple knows what is being displayed on-screen and whether the company has access to customer video calls. On this point, Apple has said the following:

Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
“Communication Safety uses on-device machine learning to analyze photo and video attachments and determine if a photo or video appears to contain nudity. Because the photos and videos are analyzed on your child’s device, Apple doesn’t receive an indication that nudity was detected and doesn’t get access to the photos or videos as a result.”
Like many of Apple’s features, the on-device processing means that content is not sent to Apple’s servers and is not accessible by the company. Rather, it is using artificial intelligence (AI) to flag video content that likely contains nudity, then censoring it.
The fact that Apple’s Communication Safety features are aimed at protecting minors suggests that this latest FaceTime feature might not be intended to cover adults as well as children. Its inclusion on all accounts, therefore, might be an oversight or bug. While we don’t know for sure, we should find out by September when iOS 26 comes out of beta and releases in full to the public.
You might also like

Apple just expanded its child safety features with age ratings that could lessen the chance of an inappropriate download
Best parental control app of 2025: tested, ranked and reviewed by the experts
iOS 26: new features, a new design, and everything you need to know

See more News about Phones

Social Links Navigation
Freelance Contributor

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he’s learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That’s all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

iOS 18.5 will soon deliver a handy Screen Time upgrade for parents – plus 4 other useful features

I get annoying spam calls all the time, so I can’t wait for the Call Screening feature in iOS 26

watchOS 26 could help protect your privacy with this secret new Apple Watch setting

WhatsApp has just dropped these 9 new features – including 2 that I’m not happy about

This iPhone feature has been blamed for the Signalgate fiasco – here’s how to avoid your own group chat nightmare

Signal blasts Microsoft over Recall privacy failings, as secure messaging app is forced to fudge a way of blocking the controversial Windows 11 feature

Latest in Phones

Gorgeous leaked photos give us our best look yet at the super-slim Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

I used a Google Pixel 9 Pro for a week – and I wish my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 had its best feature

How to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked on July 9: get ready for new foldable phones and more

Hurry! It’s your last chance to claim in Apple’s $95 million Siri settlement – here’s how to do it

Apple could move the logo on the iPhone 17 Pro, and that’s a bigger deal that you might realise

iPhone 17 Air leaked specs suggest it’s likely to beat the S25 Edge in one key way – and lose out in another

Latest in News

Phil Spencer somehow thinks that Xbox has ‘never looked stronger’ as multiple games are canceled

The AI-powered future of ransomware is coming soon – here’s what we need to look out for

Gorgeous leaked photos give us our best look yet at the super-slim Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

A cleaning expert reveals how often you should really be vacuuming your floors – and it’s not as bad as I feared

Xbox cancels Perfect Dark, Everwild, and an unannounced online game amidst yet another round of mass layoffs

The PS5 lead architect says the PS5 Pro will get an advanced graphics update in 2026 that will deliver better performance