Apple has sued the well-known leaker Jon Prosser for the alleged theft of alternate secrets and techniques and strategies associated with iOS 26. Prosser has been accused of tasking another man, Michael Ramacciotti, with secretly gaining access to an Apple worker’s improvement iPhone and the usage of that facts to document on Apple’s planned adjustments inside the then-unannounced iOS 26.
According to the lawsuit, Apple claims that Prosser presented Ramacciotti “cash or a destiny undertaking opportunity” in change for access to a organisation cellular telephone belonging to his pal Ethan Lipnik, an Apple software program application engineer jogging on iOS. Ramacciotti allegedly learnt Lipnik’s iPhone passcode, used “region-tracking” to decide when he’d be away from home for an extended period, after which accessed the iPhone strolling a development model of the mobile OS. Apple says that Ramacciotti showed the software program program to Prosser over a video name, which Prosser recorded, shared with others, and used to create renders of the cutting-edge designs.
Apple says it located out the statistics of what took place in April from an anonymous e mail from a person who claimed to have seen Prosser’s recording of the choice and recognized Lipnik’s condominium. The corporation additionally claims to have a voice word despatched thru Ramacciotti to Lipnik, apologizing for the incident and claiming that the subterfuge changed into Prosser’s concept, which Lipnik in turn supplied to Apple. Lipnik become fired thru Apple for failing to properly observe its suggestions round securing unreleased software program software.
Prosser released several films on his Front Page Tech and Genius Bar Podcast YouTube channels masking leaked capabilities in the new edition of iOS, which turned into then expected to be referred to as iOS 19. In January 2025 he launched “your very first have a look at iOS 19,” revealing a redecorate to the digital camera app. In March got here a examine the redesigned Messages app, and in April he posted “the maximum crucial iOS leak ever,” with a primary take a look at Apple’s new Liquid Glass layout language.
Prosser has responded to the lawsuit on X, insisting that Apple’s account is “now not how the scenario achieved out on my stop,” and claiming to have evidence to that effect. “I did not ‘plot’ to get proper of entry to every person’s smartphone. I did now not have any passwords. I emerge as ignorant of how the statistics have become obtained.”
In its criminal submitting, Apple asks for each damages and a court docket order stopping Prosser from disclosing Apple’s change secrets and techniques once more. The commercial enterprise employer gives that whilst iOS 26 has given that been added to the general public, its secrets are nevertheless at risk because the development phone “contained other unannounced design elements.”