Earlier this yr, YouTuber Jon Prosser posted a number of movies on the streaming service that showcased what he claimed to be recreated renderings of Apple’s upcoming iPhone working system, which was then anticipated to be referred to as iOS 19. It was later revealed as iOS 26 when Apple formally unveiled it throughout its Worldwide Builders Convention (WWDC25) in June.
Within the first Prosser video, he confirmed a redesigned Digicam app that featured a less complicated interface, permitting customers to maneuver rapidly between photograph and video modes. Then, throughout a March episode of his Genius Bar podcast, he confirmed off the brand new Messages app, with rounded keyboard corners and spherical navigation buttons on the high of the display screen.
Lastly, an April Prosser video supplied a better take a look at the Liquid Glass interface language, which was unveiled at WWDC. The footage confirmed iOS 26’s glass-like, rounder interface parts, pill-shaped tab bars on the backside of choose Apple apps, and different points of the brand new design language. Prosser stated on the time that he used artist’s renders within the video rather than precise screenshots to guard the supply of the leak.
Whereas a few of what Prosser confirmed didn’t precisely match the ultimate design of iOS 26, most of it was fairly shut. Apple didn’t take kindly to that, because the Cupertino agency filed a lawsuit on Thursday in opposition to Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti for misappropriation of commerce secrets and techniques.
Apple’s submitting consists of info outlining what it says is the collection of occasions that led to Prosser’s leaks, which facilities on a growth iPhone possessed by Ramacciotti’s good friend and Apple worker, Ethan Lipnik.
Apple says Prosser and Ramacciotti conspired to accumulate Lipnik’s passcode to entry the machine, then used location monitoring to find out when the Apple worker can be away for an prolonged interval. Prosser allegedly supplied Ramacciotti cash to help him in accessing the event iPhone that was working what would finally grow to be iOS 26.
Apple alleges that Ramacciotti obtained his arms on the event iPhone, then made a FaceTime name to Prosser, throughout which he confirmed off the brand new working system working on the machine. Prosser then recorded the decision utilizing display screen seize instruments, shared these movies with different events, and likewise used them to create renders of the software program to create his YouTube movies.
Apple stated that Lipnik’s iPhone held a “vital quantity of extra Apple commerce secret info that has not but been publicly disclosed.” The iPhone maker says it doesn’t understand how a lot of that info Prosser and Ramacciotti have of their possession.
Apple has filed a lawsuit to guard its commerce secrets and techniques and block any additional publicity of the corporate’s confidential details about its units, and is looking for damages for the duo’s misappropriation of those commerce secrets and techniques.
Apple has fired Lipnik over his failure to guard the event of Apple’s unreleased software program and units. Lipnik allegedly did not notify Apple of the breach, regardless of being knowledgeable by associates who had seen the movies that they acknowledged his condominium within the background, which was recorded in the course of the FaceTime name. Apple as an alternative discovered of the leaks by way of an nameless e-mail.
For his half, Prosser has since replied to tweets by MacRumors about their article on this story. He challenges Apple’s facet, claiming “This isn’t how issues went down on my finish,” and that he’s “trying ahead to with the ability to communicate to Apple about it.”