iOS 16.6 sets the stage for ignition key verification for iMessage

Apple today offered the first beta of iOS 16.6 for download. Unsurprisingly, there is no particular novelty, except for one: the verification of ignition keys for iMessage.

An option for ignition key verification for iMessage is present in the Settings app, but enabling it doesn’t do anything special. We will probably have to wait for other betas to have more settings and above all a functional system. Or, Apple will wait for the final version to activate everything at once.

With iMessage’s Ignition Key Verification, users can make sure they’re only communicating with the people they want. Apple recognised last year that this system is especially interesting for people who face significant digital threats. The company referred to journalists, human rights defenders and members of the government.

How it works ? A check takes place regularly to ensure that the person you are in contact with is indeed the person you want, and not a malicious person looking to invite themselves, read messages and more. During a conversation between two or more people who have enabled contact key verification for iMessage, Apple will send a notification if the servers are compromised and a conversation is vulnerable to intrusion.

And for even higher security, users of the Ignition Key Verification feature for iMessage can verify a contact verification code over FaceTime or through another secure call.

Apple had announced that ignition key verification for iMessage would be available sometime in 2023, without giving a specific date. It will obviously be available in a few weeks for everyone, when we have the final version of iOS 16.6.