iOS 16 can help you avoid CAPTCHA anti-bot systems that pop up during some web logins. As MacRumors noticed, Apple; iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura have a Private Access Token system that completely bypasses CAPTCHAs for some apps and websites.
When you enable Automatic Verification, sites that support this system will use iCloud to authenticate both your Apple ID and device, and provide a token that proves you are trustworthy. That means you won’t have to enter mysterious text or tap images of traffic lights to show you’re human.
Apple specifically states that this system will not share devices with sensitive data (such as email address or phone number) linked to your account. Also, the company won’t know who made the verification request, so it won’t be able to tie these checks to specific providers. The token system is said to be more privacy-friendly as it does not track your IP address. It will also increase accessibility by making CAPTCHA-approved sites available to more people with disabilities.
Perhaps the more significant impact of this technology is its widespread adoption beyond Apple hardware. Cloudflare and Fastly have already announced their plans to support the token approach, potentially bringing it to millions of websites. Additionally, Apple worked with these companies and Google to make Private Access Tokens an open standard.
While there isn’t yet a direct Android equivalent, the technology introduced with iOS 16 suggests we can move forward to a future where very few people have to manually complete CAPTCHAs.
50024
