Apple's ecosystem is full of secrets. While iPhone users enjoy exclusive functions such as Airdrop, Face ID or the perfect integration between devices, there are even more advanced tools that have ever reached the public.
Are hidden functionsdesigned for Apple employees and internal developers, allow things that seem taken from a modified version of iOS. From rapid accesses to advanced configurations to purification tools that facilitate software development.
We have to give bad news: the iPhone that an Apple employee uses is not the same as the one in your pocket.
Apple's iPhone is not the same
One of the best kept secrets is the “internal settings”, a hidden menu which only appears on devices configured with special permits. This panel allows to modify system options that normal users can never touch. Among them, advanced network adjustments, hardware tests and diagnostic tools that show detailed metric of the device performance. This menu is not present in iOS visibly, and it is only accessible if the device has been authorized by Apple with a special profile.
Another of iOS's mysteries is the existence of exclusive internal applications For employees. Among them, the “AppleConnect” app has been leaked, a tool that Apple workers can use to access the company's internal resources. There is also “switchboard”, a special app launcher used in Apple's factories and development centers to test the devices before launch. Through this application, technicians can check the proper functioning of the screen, sensors and other components of each iPhone before it reaches stores.
In addition to these internal apps, Apple has a secret test system called “Purplerestore”. This tool allows employees to restore iPhones in a deeper way than with iTunes or Finder, and is even capable of reverse versions of iOS No need to wait for a new public update. Purplerestore is mainly used in laboratories of Apple development to test new functions before they are officially launched.
More ports and different construction and software
One of the most interesting aspects of Apple's internal software is that employees can try versions of iOS months before the rest of the world. While registered developers have access to public betas, Apple engineers have special Builds that include experimental characteristics. Some of these functions never see the light and are discarded before the official launch.
As for the hardware, Apple employees who work in the development of new devices use special iPhones with additional USB-C ports or internal connectors that facilitate software purification. These test devices, known as “dev-fuses iPhones”, are usually filtered in the black market for astronomical figures. Although for most users they are useless, hackers and security specialists use them to discover vulnerabilities in iOS.
Apple is a company known for its secrecy, and these exclusive tools are part of its strategy to maintain absolute control over its ecosystem. However, from time to time, fragments of this hidden world come to light through leaks and former company employees. The truth is that, although the iPhones that we use daily seem closed and limited devices in terms of customization, in the hands of Apple engineers are true test machines with advanced functions that we will never officially see.
