They discover a new function of the M4 chip for iPad Pro
The launch of the 2024 iPad Pro line has led to the discovery of a lot of surprises, many of which were not even presented during the official announcement of the new Apple tablets. One of these surprises resides in the M4 chip and has been revealed very recently.
Apparently, Apple has incorporated a new functionality in the M4 chip of the iPad Pro which, until now, had been kept secret. Specifically, this is a privacy feature related to the microphone and camera.
Apple has always been considered one of the technology companies that cares most about the privacy of its users. And this new function of the M4 chip is a clear example of this.
The new privacy feature of the M4 chip
The M4 chip is more powerful than we thought
This interesting novelty of the M4 chip has been discovered and shared by Guilherme Rambo in Mastodon and consists of a security improvement for the camera and microphone indicators.
Now the mechanism of Safe Indicator Light (SIL) is integrated into the hardware of the iPad Pro. It is the first time that an Apple device bind this mechanism to the hardware and it has been thanks to all the power of the M4 chip.
When an app is using the iPad Pro’s microphone or camera, a light indicator will turn on. Thus, It will be much more difficult for an application or malware to access the microphone or camera without the consent and/or knowledge of the user.
Orange LED indicator alerts you when the microphone sensor is in use
In reality, this function has already been present on the iPhone for many years, it landed on the Apple smartphone in autumn 2020 with iOS 14 and consists of some green and orange light spots that appear when the microphone or camera sensors are being used.
But the privacy function of the SIL mechanism until now it had always been present in the software and not in the hardware. This means that it is now much more reliable and offers a higher level of security.
Indicators in this feature will show users when an app is listening through the microphone or accessing camera feeds. All via hardware.
We continue to learn about new features of the 2024 iPad Pro line
Little by little we are unraveling all the hidden mysteries that reside inside the 2024 iPad Pro. Like its tandem OLED technology, with several panels that combine their light and make it possible for the iPad Pro to have the best OLED screen on the market. What more secrets will the hardware of the 2024 iPad Pro line hide?
We expect this new feature led by the iPad Pro’s M4 chip to also come to the iPhone 16 with the A18 and/or A18 Pro chips. Many apps in the App Store take advantage of accepting permissions to access the camera and microphone at any time, something that should not be legal and that is a clear intrusion into the privacy of users.
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