Apple Inc.'s iOS 9.3 Beta Makes It Clear That Employer Can Track Company-Issued iPhone

Maybe mixing work with pleasure on a company iPhone isn’t such a good idea after all. With iOS 9.3, Apple is making it clear to users of its smartphones and tablets that their browsing habits and location can be tracked if they're using a company-owned iOS device.

The change in the next incremental update to the Apple operating system was spotted by Reddit user Magnetix. In the next iOS update, the iPhone maker will notify users in two ways. At the bottom of the lockscreen, “This iPhone is managed by your organization” is displayed on an iPhone that’s set up with an organization’s mobile device management server, which allows a company to remotely update, control and track its iOS devices.

A second message located in the about screen notifies users that an iPhone is supervised and can can be monitored and located by the organization that issued it. These messages are not displayed on unmanaged personal iOS devices.

Apple 9.3 b5 Changes

In the upcoming update, Apple is also giving IT administrators more control over managed iOS devices, including the ability to lock homescreen app placement, hide apps, whitelist or blacklist specific apps, and enforce a company’s preferred notification settings, as detailed in Apple’s enterprise configuration guide.

In addition to the company-centric updates, with iOS 9.3 Apple is bringing a number of additional features, such as Night Shift mode, which adjusts an iPhone screen’s color temperature at nighttime and Touch ID fingerprint protected notes.

A final release date for iOS 9.3 has yet to be announced by Apple. But it’s possible that it may unveil the update sometime after it showcases a new 4-inch iPhone and upgraded iPad Air at a media event during the week of March 21, according to Re/code.