iMessage contact key verification could arrive with iOS 16.6

At the end of last year, Apple said, a tool the company said would allow those facing “unusual digital threats” to protect their conversations from malicious actors. At the time, the company promised that the security feature would arrive sometime in 2023. Now, a little more than two weeks before the launch, it looks like Call Key Verification in iMessage may arrive with the release of iOS 16.6.

As I first mentioned before Apple started rolling out the first beta version of iOS 16.6 on Friday, and among the features that the release appears to be adding is iMessage Contact Key Verification. A new option within the Settings app indicates that Apple is working on the tool, but at the moment, enabling Call key verification to activate the feature doesn’t seem to work. Mac rumors It is expected that the reason for this is that the company has not yet fully implemented the connection key verification in iMessage.

Once there, iMessage Contact Key Verification, provided the feature is enabled for everyone in an iMessage conversation, will automatically send an alert when Apple detects that someone has added a rogue device to an account. The company envisions the feature protecting activists, government officials, and journalists from state-sponsored hackers. It is one of the last features that Apple is expected to add to iOS 16 before the company turns its full attention to iOS 17.