iOS 15.2 Beta Adds Messages Communication Safety Feature for Kids

Apple over the summer announced new Child Safety features that are aimed at keeping children safer online. Apple has confirmed that one of those features, Communication Safety in Messages, has been enabled in the second beta of iOS 15.2 that was released today, after hints of it appeared in the first beta. Note that Communication Safety is not the same as the controversial anti-CSAM feature that Apple plans to implement in the future after revisions.

communication safety 1
Communication Safety is a Family Sharing feature that can be enabled by parents, and it is opt-in rather than activated by default. When turned on, the Messages app is able to detect nudity in images that are sent or received by children. If a child receives or attempts to send a photo with nudity, the image will be blurred and the child will be warned about the content, told it's okay not to view the photo, and offered resources to contact someone they trust for help.

When Communication Safety was first announced, Apple said that parents of children under the age of 13 had the option to receive a notification if the child viewed a nude image in Messages, but after receiving feedback, Apple has removed this feature. Apple now says that no notifications are sent to parents.

Apple removed the notification option because it was suggested that parental notification could pose a risk for a child in a situation where there is parental violence or abuse. For all children, including those under the age of 13, Apple will instead offer guidance on getting help from a trusted adult in a situation where nude photos are involved.

Checking for nudity in photos is done on-device, with Messages analyzing image attachments. The feature does not impact the end-to-end encryption of messages, and no indication of the detection of nudity leaves the device. Apple has no access to the Messages.

In addition to introducing Communication Safety, Apple later this year plans to expand Siri and Search with resources that will help children and parents avoid unsafe situations online. Users who ask ‌Siri‌ how to report child exploitation, for example, will receive information on how to file a report.

siri search csam
If an Apple device user performs a search related to child exploitation, ‌Siri‌ and Search will explain that interest in the topic is harmful, providing resources for users to get help with the issue.

Apple in September promised to overhaul Communication Safety after hearing feedback from customers, advocacy groups, and researchers before implementing the feature, which is where the changes introduced today stem from.

Communication Safety is available in a beta capacity at the current time, and there's no word yet on when iOS 15.2 will see an official release. We're only at the second beta, so it still may be some time before launch.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Apple Intelligence Now Available in New iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia Developer Betas

Monday July 29, 2024 10:07 am PDT by
Apple is today providing developers with the first betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, with the new software introducing an early version of the Apple Intelligence features. These new betas will be in testing alongside the current iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15 betas. Developers can choose whether to opt into the new betas with Apple Intelligence, or stay on the ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple Intelligence Delayed to iOS 18.1 in October

Sunday July 28, 2024 11:52 am PDT by
Apple Intelligence will miss its initial expected launch date to give Apple more time to fix bugs, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. According to individuals with knowledge about Apple's plans, the company now plans to start rolling out Apple Intelligence in software updates by October, arriving several weeks after the launch of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. This means that Apple...
T Mobile Generic Feature Pink 1

T-Mobile Sued for Breaking Lifetime Price Guarantees

Friday July 26, 2024 2:44 pm PDT by
T-Mobile customers have filed a lawsuit [PDF] against the carrier, alleging that it failed to honor a guarantee not to raise the prices of select cellular plans. The lawsuit, first spotted by Wired, claims that back in 2017, T-Mobile advertised several of its plans with a price lock, but then went on to increase prices starting in May 2024. "T-Mobile ONE customers keep their price until...

Top Rated Comments

stiligFox Avatar
36 months ago

After updating to iOS 15.2 Don’t be sending nudes. ?‍♀️
Don’t be sending nudes to children is the take away here.

That… should be painfully obvious already…
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unsupported Avatar
36 months ago

I was confused about that. So basically an “Off” toggle will be offered?
READ THE ARTICLE!
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fwmireault Avatar
36 months ago

Make NO mistake, at some point, Apple will flip the switch & reverse it !

They will do it in the dead of night, when nobody is paying attention !

Did. Said it like it is.. They will force it. You'll see.
I’m sorry but the amount of misinformation is crazy here. CSAM and communication safety features are two separate things. I am very opposed to the CSAM scanning process, but don’t have any problem of giving to parents an option to prevent minors from seeing explicit unsollicited pictures.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Capeto Avatar
36 months ago

Yuck! CSAM.

Is there a way to disable this feature? Or is it set by default by Apple?
This is not CSAM.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unsupported Avatar
36 months ago
A lot of knee jerking ?? going on here from people who haven't even read the article!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unsupported Avatar
36 months ago

Make NO mistake, at some point, Apple will flip the switch & reverse it !

They will do it in the dead of night, when nobody is paying attention !
Here, you'll need this:
https://www.amazon.com/Electro-Deflecto-Unisex-Foil-Size/dp/B01I497JAM
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)