In active talks with Indian govt, received encouraging feedback: Starlink

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jun 10, 2026 | Technology

Lauren Dreyer, Vice President, Starlink Business Operations, said that Starlink has worked with the government through all of the required regulatory and compliance processes in a transparent and responsible manner | Image: Shutterstock

2 min read Last Updated : Jun 10 2026 | 10:03 AM IST

Elon Musk-led Starlink continues to be in active discussion with the Indian government and has received encouraging feedback on its capabilities to advance India’s connectivity goals, a senior official of the satellite firm said on Wednesday.

Starlink has applied for a licence to start satellite communications services in India. The government has issued a letter of intent to the company and the final license is awaited.

“Starlink remains in active and productive discussions with the Government of India contrary to misleading stories based upon unsubstantiated claims from anonymous sources. We have worked with the Government through all of the required regulatory and compliance processes in a transparent and responsible manner,” Lauren Dreyer, Vice President, Starlink Business Operations, said on social media platform X.

Her post came in response to a source-based report that claimed India has effectively frozen approvals for Starlink to begin commercial operations, citing concerns over the use of its satellite terminals in the Iran war.

The government has issued licences to other two applicants- Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat Oneweb and Jio-SGS(Space Technology Ltd). The two companies are now awaiting spectrum allocation to roll out their services.

“We have heard nothing but encouraging feedback on Starlink’s capabilities and its potential to advance India’s connectivity ambitions, especially in remote and underserved regions. We remain fully committed to India and to working with the Government to bring Starlink’s services very soon to the country,” she added.

Dreyer said that Starlink has worked with the government through all of the required regulatory and compliance processes in a transparent and responsible manner.

“To align with India’s sovereign technology, regulatory and security requirements, Starlink has set up a bespoke deployment model for India that further demonstrates our commitment to working within India’s strategic framework,” she added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Jun 10 2026 | 10:03 AM IST

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Google Cloud outage in India after fire at third-party data centre

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jun 10, 2026 | Technology

Alphabet’s Google Cloud said on Tuesday that some customers in India experienced intermittent network disruptions after a fire at a third-party data centre ‌triggered an emergency shutdown of networking equipment.

The cloud-computing unit said the fire led to an emergency power shutdown at the facility, isolating a local point of presence in Delhi and reducing network capacity across the metropolitan area.

Google Cloud did not say when the fire occurred or ‌whether it caused property damage or injuries.

Such disruptions can cascade across businesses and users, slowing apps, websites, and internal company systems.

The incident affected network traffic from Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and nearby regions, causing periods of elevated latency, the company said on its status page.

Google Cloud, ‌one of the world’s largest cloud providers, competes with Amazon Web Services ‌and Microsoft Azure and is widely used to process ‌large data volumes and run artificial intelligence tools.

There was no workaround while restoration ‌efforts continue, the unit said, adding that it was exploring additional traffic mitigation measures to limit the ‌impact.

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RIL, Meta partner to develop 168 MW AI enabled data centre in Gujarat

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jun 10, 2026 | Technology

Reliance Industries Limited and social media major Meta Platforms have partnered to develop a 168-megawatt data centre in Jamngar, Gujarat, within two years, a joint statement said on Wednesday.

This is the first built-to-suit data centre capacity in India for Meta and represents a significant milestone in India’s emergence as a global hub for AI infrastructure, the statement said.

“RIL will develop a data centre with 168 MW capacity to be delivered within two years, with an option to scale. Meta will lease capacity from the facility,” the statement said.

The data centre will be powered by renewable energy and cooled with desalinated seawater.

Meta is also separately partnering with two leading clean energy providers in India, CleanMax and Fourth Partner Energy, to back nearly 1GW of renewable energy, the statement said.

“This partnership with Meta marks a transformative moment for India’s digital infrastructure. Building India’s first built-to-suit data centre for a global technology leader of Meta’s scale demonstrates India’s readiness to be at the forefront of the global AI revolution,” Reliance Industries Limited, Chairman and Managing Director, Mukesh Ambani said.

“Jamnagar will become a landmark destination for hyperscale AI computing, and we are proud to partner with Meta to make this vision a reality,” he added.

In 2020, Meta invested USD 5.7 billion in Jio Platforms.

“The data centre will serve Meta’s global infrastructure, supporting its core business and AI compute needs, underscoring India’s growing role in the worldwide digital and AI ecosystem,” the statement said.

Under the agreement, RIL will provide comprehensive end-to-end services spanning the entire lifecycle of the data centre, from design and construction to the ongoing management of utilities, renewable power supply, network connectivity, and fully managed operational services.

The project positions RIL as a single-window solutions provider for hyperscale AI infrastructure in India.

“The strategic location in Gujarat offers significant advantages for large-scale data centre operations, including delivery capability, renewable energy, water availability, proximity to India’s western submarine cable landing stations and Jio’s extensive fibre network,” the statement said.

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Claude Fable 5: Anthropic launches Mythos-like AI model for public

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jun 10, 2026 | Technology

Anthropic has made its most powerful artificial intelligence (AI) model, Mythos, available to the general public for the first time, while restricting its ability to carry out cybersecurity-related tasks.

The company on Tuesday launched Claude Fable 5, the first publicly available version of its Mythos model. According to Anthropic, Fable 5 delivers strong performance in software engineering, knowledge work, and vision-related tasks. However, the model has been equipped with hard safety limits in high-risk domains, including cybersecurity, biology, chemistry and model distillation, Bloomberg reported.

When users attempt tasks in these restricted areas, Fable 5 blocks the request and instead falls back to Claude Opus 4.8. Anthropic said these safeguards are designed to reduce the risk of misuse, making it harder for malicious actors to use the model to attack computer networks. Anthropic is also releasing the same model, without some of the safeguards, as a new version of Mythos called Mythos 5. It will be available to the groups that can use the cyber-capable model through an initiative called Project Glasswing.

“We wanted to make sure for non-cyber use cases, we really prioritised safely releasing Fable as soon as possible,” Dianne Penn, head of project management for Anthropic’s research and labs, said. “That’s why we’re bringing this part of the Fable piece first while we continue to work on the general cyber use cases”, he added.

Designed for coding and complex professional tasks

Anthropic said Fable 5 has been designed to improve performance in coding and other professional applications, particularly tasks that require solving complex problems over extended periods compared with earlier models.

The model currently leads all publicly available AI systems in overall performance, according to benchmark tests conducted by Vals AI, a company that tracks the capabilities of leading AI models.Fable’s overall performance was 5 per cent higher than that of Claude Opus 4.8, reported The New York Times

The enhanced capabilities however come at a higher cost, with Fable 5 priced at roughly twice the cost of Opus 4.8.

Anthropic conducted safety testings

According to Bloomberg, Anthropic conducted an external bug bounty programme to assess whether users could bypass Fable 5’s safety mechanisms.

The company said external researchers and red-team testers spent more than 1,000 hours attempting to jailbreak the model and circumvent its restrictions. Anthropic reported that the exercise did not uncover any universal jailbreak methods capable of consistently bypassing the safeguards.

Mythos access expanded to India and nations

The launch follows Anthropic’s recent expansion of access to the Mythos model through Project Glasswing. Last week, the company extended access to 150 organisations across more than 15 countries, including India.

The expansion also covered members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance: Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Other countries granted access include France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Japan and South Korea, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), headquartered in Brussels, has also been given access to the technology.

Anthropic said it plans to continue expanding the number of organisations eligible to use the cyber-capable version of Mythos through Project Glasswing.

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WWDC: Apple's 2026 platform updates focus on refinement over reinvention

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jun 9, 2026 | Technology

Apple unveiled a wide range of changes coming with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27 and visionOS 27 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 8. These updates focus on speed, performance, personalisation, parental controls, productivity, health, and more.

From faster AirDrop transfers and redesigned search experiences to new child-safety tools, health-tracking capabilities and upgrades for Vision Pro, Apple’s upcoming platform updates suggest the company is focusing on refining the overall experience for users rather than introducing a large set of entirely new features.

Here is a closer look at what is coming and how it could affect the user experience.

Apple is trying to make everyday interactions faster

AirDrop

Apple has announced that AirDrop transfers will become up to 80 per cent faster across supported devices. For users deeply invested in Apple’s ecosystem, faster AirDrop could mean less waiting when moving work between devices.

Universal Search

Apple is also refining search experiences across Spotlight, Photos and Mail. Many users do not always remember exactly where a file, email or image is stored. Instead, they remember fragments such as a keyword, location or approximate date. With updated indexing, users should be able to find files more easily.

Mail

Apple said Mail will introduce a new ranking system for Top Hits, designed to surface more relevant results. Combined with broader search improvements across the system, the goal appears to be helping users find information with fewer searches and less scrolling.

Smooth and responsive architecture

The company said iPhone and iPad apps will launch up to 30 per cent faster, photos will load up to 70 per cent faster in the Photos app, and browsing and transferring files between external drives and iPad will become up to five times faster, bringing the experience closer to Finder on Mac.

Network transitions have also been upgraded. According to Apple, devices will now be smarter about when to stay connected and when to switch networks between Wi-Fi and cellular. The company also said chats in Messages will not slow down when users are sharing large files. Additionally, there will be a visual indicator to show the file transfer status in the chats.

Safari to organise the web for you

Another update that could affect everyday usage is Safari’s new tab organisation capability.

Modern web browsing often turns into digital clutter. It is common for users to accumulate dozens of tabs spanning work projects, shopping research, travel planning, news articles and personal interests.

Apple’s new organisation tools aim to automatically group related tabs together. The benefit is not necessarily that users gain a new feature, but that they may no longer have to perform as much manual organisation themselves.

Someone researching a holiday, for example, could see flight searches, hotel bookings and destination guides grouped together, while work-related tabs remain separate.

The broader goal appears to be reducing the amount of browser management required to keep information organised.

Apple is also introducing a Notify Me capability that can alert users when information they are waiting for becomes available or changes. While Apple has positioned it as part of its broader intelligence push, the practical value is straightforward: users may no longer need to repeatedly check websites or services for updates themselves.

Liquid Glass becomes customisable

Apple’s Liquid Glass design language continues to evolve this year, but one of the more interesting additions is not the design itself. It is the ability to control how much of that design users see.

The company is introducing a transparency slider that allows users to adjust the visual appearance of Liquid Glass across the interface.

That may sound like a small setting, but it addresses one of the most common debates around modern user interface design. Highly transparent interfaces often look visually impressive, but can sometimes make text and controls harder to read depending on wallpapers, lighting conditions or personal preferences.

Some users prioritise aesthetics, while others prioritise clarity and readability. The new control allows users to decide where they want to sit on that spectrum.

Someone who enjoys Apple’s glass-like visual effects can maintain that appearance, while users who prefer clearer separation between interface elements can reduce transparency without abandoning the overall design language.

The result is not necessarily a radically different interface, but one that can better adapt to individual preferences and accessibility needs.

Health updates focus on life stages, not just fitness

Apple’s Health app is receiving several additions, but one of the most meaningful may be the expansion of Cycle Tracking.

For years, digital reproductive health tools have primarily focused on menstruation, ovulation and fertility planning. While useful, that approach often becomes less relevant as users enter perimenopause and menopause, stages that can bring hot flashes, fatigue, mood changes and other symptoms.

Apple said users will be able to log symptoms associated with perimenopause and receive notifications when cycle patterns show deviations that may be linked to this stage of life.

The significance goes beyond adding another health metric.

Many tracking tools become less useful once cycles become unpredictable because traditional fertility-focused predictions no longer work reliably. Apple’s update appears designed to help users continue monitoring and understanding long-term reproductive health changes rather than treating menopause as the point where tracking ends.

For people already using the Health app as a central repository for health information, the feature could reduce the need to rely on separate specialist applications.

Apple Maps is becoming more visual

Apple Maps is receiving updates to Flyover, its 3D city exploration mode.

Flyover allows users to view cities, landmarks and locations from aerial perspectives rendered in three dimensions rather than displayed as traditional flat maps.

Apple said the feature will now combine aerial imagery with AI-assisted enhancements to create more detailed visual representations.

The update is not necessarily about navigation. Instead, it is about helping users better understand what a place looks like before arriving there.

Someone planning a trip, visiting a new city or trying to locate a destination may find it easier to recognise landmarks and understand surroundings when locations appear more detailed and visually rich.

The change reflects a broader trend across mapping platforms, where maps are increasingly becoming tools for exploration and context rather than simply directions.

Apple Watch is becoming more independent

Apple is making several changes to the Apple Watch.

One notable update is a redesigned Find My experience that combines Find Devices, Find Items and Find People into a single destination.

Previously, these functions were spread across separate experiences. Bringing them together means users may spend less time figuring out where a particular tracking feature is located.

The practical benefit becomes apparent in situations where users are already stressed, such as searching for a misplaced device, locating luggage with an AirTag or checking the location of a family member.

Rather than navigating multiple sections, users can access those functions from one place.

AirPods users get more control over sound

Apple is also bringing a long-requested feature to AirPods: a custom equaliser.

Until now, AirPods largely relied on Apple’s automatic audio tuning systems, giving users limited control over how their music, podcasts or videos sounded.

With the new Custom EQ feature, users will be able to manually adjust different audio frequencies to better match their personal preferences.

In practical terms, this means someone who prefers stronger bass, clearer vocals or brighter treble will no longer have to rely entirely on Apple’s default sound profile.

While Apple already offers features such as Adaptive Audio and Personalised Spatial Audio, Custom EQ adds a new layer of personalisation by allowing users to directly shape the listening experience.

Apple said the feature will arrive as part of its upcoming software updates later this year.

Vision Pro gains more personal experiences

Vision Pro is also receiving updates aimed at making immersive experiences easier to create from content users already own.

One notable addition allows panoramic photographs to be transformed into spatial scenes that can be used as personal environments inside Vision Pro.

Panoramic images already capture much wider views than traditional photos, but they remain fundamentally flat. Apple’s new approach attempts to turn those panoramic memories into immersive environments that surround the user.

A panorama captured during a family holiday, a mountain trek, a beach visit or a memorable event could potentially become an environment that feels more like revisiting a place than simply viewing a photograph.

iCloud sharing becomes more practical

Apple is expanding iCloud Shared Albums accessibility.

According to the company, users will be able to share full-resolution photos while preserving image quality.

While photo sharing has existed for years, image compression often means shared versions do not fully match original files. For photographers, content creators and users who simply want family photos to retain maximum quality, preserving original image detail can be important.

Apple said Android and Windows users will be able to add to these albums easily with full image resolution. The feature is scheduled for release later this year.

Apple’s child-safety update

One of the most significant non-AI announcements is Apple’s extensive overhaul of child-safety and parental-control features.

Rather than focusing on a single feature, Apple is introducing a framework that attempts to give parents more gradual control over how children interact with technology.

The company said parents will be able to start children with a limited set of essential applications, a curated starter collection or a custom selection of approved apps.

This addresses a common challenge for parents. The choice is often not between allowing everything and blocking everything. It is deciding how much access is appropriate at different ages. Apple’s new system appears designed around that reality.

Ask to Browse extends parental approval beyond app downloads and into web access. Parents can require approval before children visit new websites, creating an additional layer of supervision beyond traditional content filtering.

Time Allowances introduce category-based controls covering areas such as entertainment, games and social media. This shifts parental controls away from simply limiting overall screen time. Instead of treating every minute on a device as identical, parents can set different expectations depending on the type of activity. Educational apps, communication tools and games can be managed differently.

New Schedules add another layer of control by allowing parents to determine which apps are available during specific periods of the day. In practical terms, this could help reduce distractions during school hours, homework sessions, family meals or bedtime.

Apple has also redesigned Screen Time to provide a clearer overview of device usage and app activity. The broader goal appears to be giving parents better visibility and more flexible controls rather than forcing them into all-or-nothing restrictions.

Apple is also expanding parental controls around communication. Parents will be able to manage who their children can contact through Messages, FaceTime and Phone, and can require approval before kids connect with new contacts.

In addition, Apple’s Communication Safety feature, which already blurs nudity detected in Messages and FaceTime for users under 18, will now also intervene when gore or violent content is detected in shared images or videos, adding another layer of protection against potentially harmful content.

The company said these features will arrive through software updates with iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 later this year.

Developers get new tools, but users may feel the effects too

Although this year’s developer announcements are heavily centred on AI, Apple also introduced several broader platform changes that could eventually affect users.

Xcode 27 is becoming Apple silicon-only, which Apple said will reduce app size, simplify setup and improve performance for developers.

The company is also updating SwiftUI, Swift and game-development tools, while introducing new frameworks for spatial computing and Apple Vision Pro experiences.

Most users will never interact with these tools directly. However, they influence the quality, performance and capabilities of the apps that eventually arrive on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro.

In that sense, many of Apple’s developer-focused announcements are less about today’s software updates and more about shaping the apps users will encounter over the next several years.

Availability

Apple said developer betas for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, visionOS 27 and Xcode 27 are available now.

For consumers, most of the features announced at WWDC 2026 are expected to roll out later this year through the final public releases of Apple’s operating systems.

iOS 27: Eligible devices

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, iPhone Air

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16, iPhone 16e

iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15

iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14

iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini

iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini

iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 11

iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)

iPadOS 27: Eligible devices

iPad Pro (M4 and later)

iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation and later)

iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation and later)

iPad Air 13-inch (M2 and later)

iPad Air 11-inch (M2, M3 and M4)

iPad Air 11-inch (4th generation and later)

iPad (A16)

iPad (9th generation and later)

iPad mini (A17 Pro)

iPad mini (6th generation and later)

macOS 27: Eligible devices

MacBook Neo (2026)

MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)

MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)

iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later)

Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later)

Mac Studio (2022 and later)

Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023)

watchOS 27: Eligible devices

Apple Watch Ultra 3

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Apple Watch Series 11

Apple Watch Series 10

Apple Watch Series 9

Apple Watch SE 3

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WWDC 2026: Apple bets on device-level controls to protect children online

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jun 9, 2026 | Technology

Apple kicked off WWDC 2026 on June 8 with one of its most significant child-safety announcements in years. The company unveiled a suite of tools designed to help parents manage what children can access, who they can communicate with and how much time they spend online.

The announcement comes at a time when regulators are increasingly scrutinising how technology platforms protect minors. The European Commission recently questioned Meta’s ability to prevent underage users from accessing Facebook and Instagram despite age restrictions.

In response to regulatory scrutiny, Meta had argued that app stores and operating systems should play a larger role in age verification and parental approvals, rather than leaving every app to build its own system.

Apple’s latest announcement effectively moves in that direction, embedding child-safety controls directly into the operating system and making the device itself the first line of defence.

Apple’s child-safety framework: What it offers

The foundation of Apple’s new child-safety framework is the Child Account, which the company is making mandatory for users under 13 and available up to age 18. Once a parent sets up a Child Account during device activation, age-appropriate protections are automatically enabled across the device.

Rather than providing unrestricted access to all downloaded apps, Apple will allow parents to start with a carefully selected set of essential applications. Families can choose from a curated collection of apps or manually select those they believe are appropriate for their child. Additional apps can then be added gradually over time.

Apple is also expanding parental approval systems beyond app downloads. While the existing Ask to Buy feature already allows parents to approve App Store downloads and in-app purchases, the company is introducing a new feature called Ask to Browse.

With Ask to Browse, children will need parental permission before accessing a website they have not previously visited in Safari. Apple said the feature is designed to give parents greater visibility into their children’s online activity while allowing families to determine what is appropriate for their circumstances.

Communication safeguards

Apple is also strengthening parental oversight of digital communication. Parents can already manage contacts across Messages, FaceTime and Phone. Under the new system, children will need permission before adding new contacts.

According to Apple, this creates an additional layer of supervision and allows parents to review new connections before communication begins.

The company is also expanding Communication Safety, a feature introduced to help protect younger users from harmful content. Previously focused on detecting nudity, Communication Safety will now also intervene when graphic violence or gore is detected in shared images and videos.

Apple said these protections are enabled by default for users under 18 and are designed to reduce children’s exposure to disturbing content while preserving privacy.

Time allowances

Apple is introducing a new feature called Time Allowances, which gives parents more flexible control over how children spend time across different categories of apps.

Instead of relying only on blanket limits, parents can manage usage across categories such as games, entertainment and social media.

Apple said the recommendations will be informed by expert research and tailored to a child’s age, while still allowing parents to adjust settings according to their family’s preferences.

The company is also enhancing scheduling tools. Parents will be able to create daily schedules that determine which apps are available during specific times of the day or week. For example, access to certain apps can be limited during school hours while remaining available during leisure time.

Redesigned Screen Time experience

Screen Time is receiving a significant redesign, making parental controls easier to understand and manage.

The updated interface will provide parents with an at-a-glance overview of average device usage and the apps children use most frequently. Apple said the goal is to help parents make informed decisions without needing to navigate through multiple settings menus.

The redesign also introduces faster controls that allow parents to make immediate adjustments. For example, access to apps and websites can be restricted during family meals, outdoor activities or other moments where parents want children to focus on the world around them.

Similarly, if a child needs additional time to complete an activity, parents can extend access with a few taps.

Does Apple’s new child-safety push solve the access problem?

At the heart of the debate around children’s online safety is a simple question: how do platforms know whether a user is actually a child?

For years, most apps and social media platforms have relied on self-declared age. Users enter a date of birth during sign-up, and the platform accepts it without verification. Regulators increasingly argue that this approach does not work, as children can easily enter a false age and gain access to services intended for older users.

Apple’s latest child-safety announcement is partly an attempt to address that problem, but it approaches the issue differently from social media companies by placing protections at the operating-system level rather than within individual apps.

The announcement also comes at a time when AI tools are making content creation and discovery easier than ever, increasing concerns around what children can access online and how much time they spend on digital platforms.

According to Tarun Pathak, research director, Counterpoint Research, child privacy was one of the most significant announcements at WWDC 2026 outside Apple’s AI efforts.

“Besides Siri AI, the second most important highlight from the event was child privacy. Apple has addressed one of the key issues. With AI, both content generation and access have become extremely easy. Higher screen time and what a child has access to on their phones in private is one of the key anxiety points of a parent,” Pathak said.

Pathak said Apple’s new framework attempts to address these concerns by embedding multiple safeguards directly into the operating system.

“Apple has worked a lot towards solving this by building multiple guard rails and giving greater control to a parent on what their child can see, access and even who they can talk to. This also builds a strong value proposition for a parent to choose iOS for their children for a greater peace of mind,” he added.

Apple’s device-level approach

Apple’s approach sidesteps part of the age-verification problem by anchoring child safety at the device level rather than the app level.

A Child Account is set up by a parent during device activation using Apple ID authentication, which already carries age data. The child does not self-declare age independently. Every restriction that follows flows from that single account across the ecosystem, covering which apps a child can access, which websites they can visit, who they can communicate with and how long they spend on each category of app.

Because the controls sit at the operating system level, they apply consistently across apps without requiring each developer to build separate safeguards. Features such as Communication Safety also run on-device, meaning sensitive content is detected without data leaving the phone.

Android offers parental controls through both built-in settings and the Family Link app, but neither is activated by default during device setup. A child can begin using an Android device without a parental account or age-based restrictions in place, leaving it to parents to discover and enable those tools.

That difference in approach is significant, according to Prabhu Ram, vice-president, Industry Research Group, CyberMedia Research.

“At a time when regulatory scrutiny around children’s online safety is intensifying globally, Apple’s parental control enhancements are consistent with its privacy-first positioning,” he said.

“More broadly, digital wellbeing is emerging as a genuine platform differentiator. The platform most credibly positioned as a safe environment for children holds a meaningful structural advantage.”

Ram said Apple’s vertically integrated hardware and software ecosystem allows the company to embed parental controls more deeply into the user experience from the moment a device is set up.

“Apple’s vertically integrated hardware and software model enables a more consistent, deeply integrated parental control experience, whereas delivering the same level of uniformity across the broader Android ecosystem remains structurally more challenging,” he added.

However, the limits of Apple’s approach are equally clear. The safeguards work only if parents actively set up and manage a Child Account, and they are largely confined to Apple’s ecosystem. Android devices, gaming consoles, shared computers and other connected platforms remain outside its reach.

Features such as Ask to Browse also require ongoing parental involvement, raising questions about whether families will continue using them over time. Apple’s framework may strengthen device-level protections, but it does not fully solve the broader challenges of age verification and child safety that regulators in the EU, the US and Australia are increasingly focused on addressing.

Why regulators are still pushing for more

Governments around the world are increasingly moving beyond voluntary parental controls.

Several US states have introduced laws requiring parental consent or age verification for minors using social media. Australia has already implemented restrictions aimed at preventing younger teenagers from accessing social platforms, while European regulators are developing broader age-verification frameworks.

Many policymakers believe platform-level controls, operating-system safeguards and regulatory oversight will all be needed to create meaningful protections for children online.

Apple’s announcement represents one of the most comprehensive child-safety updates introduced at the operating-system level. By shifting protections from individual apps to the device itself, the company is attempting to create a more reliable and privacy-focused framework for families.

Features such as Child Accounts, Ask to Browse, Communication Safety and Time Allowances move child safety beyond simple screen-time limits and into broader digital supervision.

However, the announcement does not eliminate the wider challenges surrounding age verification, social media access and children’s online behaviour. Those issues extend beyond a single platform or device ecosystem.

What Apple has introduced is not a complete solution to child safety online, but it does represent a significant step towards giving parents more control over their children’s digital lives.

Should OS-level controls be the default for child safety?

Apple’s WWDC announcement makes a broader argument: child safety may work better at the operating-system level than inside individual apps.

By building protections directly into iOS, Apple can apply rules across the entire device instead of relying on every app developer to create and enforce safeguards.

The case for OS-level controls

Device-level controls work across apps, creating a more uniform safety experience.

A Child Account set up by a parent is also harder to bypass than a simple age gate during app sign-up.

Apple’s Communication Safety uses on-device processing, reducing the need to send sensitive data to external servers.

The approach also reduces reliance on app makers by placing safety features at the operating-system level.

The case against OS-level controls

Apple’s controls work only within its ecosystem and cannot govern experiences on Android devices, web browsers or shared family devices.

OS-level controls also place significant influence over children’s digital access in the hands of companies such as Apple and Google.

The burden on parents remains substantial. Many features still require active participation, and some may be disabled over time due to approval fatigue.

Apps also continue to control much of the experience. While an operating system can restrict access to apps and content, it cannot fully govern what children encounter once inside an approved app.

Apple has introduced tools such as the Declared Age Range API to help developers create age-appropriate experiences, but their effectiveness ultimately depends on whether third-party app makers implement them.

New tools for developers

To make child-protection safeguards more widely available across its ecosystem, Apple is introducing a range of frameworks designed to help app makers create safer and more age-appropriate experiences for younger users.

Apple said these tools are designed to balance child safety, parental oversight and privacy by reducing the amount of personal information shared with third-party apps.

SensitiveContentAnalysis can help developers prevent children from being exposed to inappropriate material such as nudity or violence.

PermissionKit allows developers to require parental approval before children connect with new contacts inside apps.

The Declared Age Range API enables developers to tailor experiences according to a child’s age range without collecting sensitive information such as an exact birth date.

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