{"id":15460,"date":"2026-07-24T07:12:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T02:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=15460"},"modified":"2026-07-24T07:12:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T02:12:13","slug":"code-in-ios-27-lets-apple-deactivate-leased-iphones-report-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=15460","title":{"rendered":"Code in iOS 27 lets Apple deactivate leased iPhones, report says"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article\">\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/tech\/apple-iphone-18-pro-release-date-news-leaks-rumors-juy-2026\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\">iPhone 18 is about to launch<\/a>, along with the final version of its operating system, <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/category\/ios\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\">iOS 27<\/a>, most likely in September. But a new report says it may arrive with a feature that lets Apple, and third-party lenders, remotely deactivate phones if customers fall behind on payments. <\/p>\n<p>With the <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/tech\/apple-ios-27-best-features\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\">iOS 27 beta<\/a> now widely available, <a href=\"https:\/\/9to5mac.com\/2026\/07\/21\/ios-27-code-suggests-apple-could-restrict-leased-devices-after-missed-payments\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\" title=\"(opens in a new window)\">9to5Mac found code<\/a> that would let Apple place delinquent iPhones in &#8220;Restricted Mode.&#8221; This would limit users to a short list of widgets and apps, including the App Store, Clock, Settings, Wallet, and Passwords, according to the report. <\/p>\n<p>In theory, 9to5Mac says the system could work like this: Authorized financing partners who lease iPhones to customers get to perform regular status checks to see if the contract is still valid. If a customer falls behind, Restricted Mode would be activated.<\/p>\n<p>The feature is &#8220;unequivocally present&#8221; in the iOS 27 beta, according to 9to5Mac \u2014 and a future update to iOS 26 could bring this feature to older iPhones as well. <\/p>\n<div class=\"flex mx-auto mt-8 w-full max-w-3xl font-sans text-lg leading-normal md:text-xl md:leading-7\">\n        <span class=\"font-bold text-primary-400\">SEE ALSO:<\/span><br \/>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/tech\/apple-iphone-18-pro-release-date-news-leaks-rumors-juy-2026\" class=\"flex items-center text-secondary-300\"><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ml-1\">iPhone 18 news, leaks, and rumors: Release date, iPhone 18 Pro details, more info<\/span><br \/>\n            <svg class=\"ml-1 w-4 h-4 font-normal fill-current\"><use href=\"http:\/\/mashable.com\/images\/icons\/spritemap.svg#sprite-arrow-right-thin\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<p>The era of internet-connected &#8220;smart&#8221; devices has had plenty of benefits for consumers, but as consumer advocates have long warned, it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2010\/11\/22\/131511381\/wipeout-when-your-company-kills-your-iphone\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\" title=\"(opens in a new window)\">also allows brands to remotely turn off devices<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Why might Apple be testing a tool like this right now? Let&#8217;s dive in.<\/p>\n<section x-data=\"window.newsletter({ isDeal: false })\" x-init=\"init()\" aria-label=\"Newsletter Sign-Up\" class=\"relative invisible my-12 mx-auto w-full max-w-3xl md:my-16 ziff-component accent-cut-for-gradient-bg accent-cut-border-for-gradient-bg bg-gradient-fuchsia-secondary p-[2px]\">\n<p>\n            <span class=\"text-gradient-fuchsia-secondary\">Mashable Light Speed<\/span>\n        <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"eloquent-imagery-image\">\n<div class=\"flex justify-center\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"w-full\" src=\"https:\/\/helios-i.mashable.com\/imagery\/articles\/05ecfsQjxd9eKwteFX2ercT\/images-1.fill.size_2000x1124.v1784836865.jpg\" alt=\"the iphone 17e on display\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1124\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helios-i.mashable.com\/imagery\/articles\/05ecfsQjxd9eKwteFX2ercT\/images-1.fill.size_800x450.v1784836865.jpg 800w, https:\/\/helios-i.mashable.com\/imagery\/articles\/05ecfsQjxd9eKwteFX2ercT\/images-1.fill.size_1400x787.v1784836865.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/helios-i.mashable.com\/imagery\/articles\/05ecfsQjxd9eKwteFX2ercT\/images-1.fill.size_2000x1124.v1784836865.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1408px) 100vw, 1408px\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n            <span class=\"normal-case text-gray-1000\"\/><br \/>\n            <span class=\"text-gray-600 credit\">Credit: Timothy Werth \/ Mashable<\/span>\n        <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>If you&#8217;ve bought any new tech products recently, you&#8217;ve probably noticed: <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/tech\/ramageddon-every-tech-price-increase-2026\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\">New devices are getting really expensive<\/a>. Just this month <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/tech\/apple-price-increases-full-list\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\">Apple raised prices<\/a> on a variety of its products. iPhone prices haven&#8217;t risen just yet, but <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/tech\/apple-iphone-raise-prices\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\">Tim Cook has prepared the ground for an &#8220;unavoidable&#8221; iPhone price hike<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Thanks to the ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/category\/memory-crisis\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\">global memory chip crisis<\/a> known as RAMageddon, new phones now require a serious investment. The new foldable phones released by Samsung this week were preceded by a <a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/tech\/samsung-galaxy-card-unpacked-launch\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\">new Galaxy credit card program<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Apple is believed to be readying a new leasing program of its own. Bloomberg&#8217;s Apple oracle, Mark Gurman, says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-07-21\/apple-to-launch-upgrade-device-leasing-program-with-klarna-to-spur-sales?srnd=undefined\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\" title=\"(opens in a new window)\">Apple will launch the &#8220;Apple Upgrade&#8221; leasing program<\/a> later this month. <\/p>\n<p>Gurman calls it &#8220;one of the biggest-ever changes to how the company sells&#8221; new devices \u2014 and says Apple Upgrade will be part of a partnership with the online lender Klarna, giving buyers a lease-to-buy option. iPhone customers who qualify could make monthly payments over two years.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/9to5mac.com\/2026\/07\/21\/ios-27-code-suggests-apple-could-restrict-leased-devices-after-missed-payments\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-click=\"1\" data-ga-label=\"$text\" data-ga-item=\"text-link\" data-ga-module=\"content_body\" title=\"(opens in a new window)\">code discovered by 9to5Mac<\/a> also reportedly includes another type of locking mechanism called &#8220;Partner Finance Lock,&#8221; which would stop users from trying to resell a financed device.<\/p>\n<p>Clearly, Apple and Klarna can&#8217;t let customers who miss payments continue to use leased iPhones indefinitely. But it&#8217;s also an uncomfortable reminder of how much control Big Tech has over our devices.<\/p>\n<p>Mashable reached out to Apple for comment about Restricted Mode; we&#8217;ll update this story if this famously taciturn tech giant provides new information. <\/p>\n<section class=\"mx-auto max-w-7xl\">\n<\/section><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The iPhone 18 is about to launch, along with the final version of its operating system, iOS 27, most likely in September. But a new report says it may arrive with a feature that lets Apple, and third-party lenders, remotely deactivate phones if customers fall behind on payments. With the iOS 27 beta now widely&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/helios-i.mashable.com\/imagery\/articles\/05ecfsQjxd9eKwteFX2ercT\/hero-image.fill.size_1200x675.v1784836841.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}