Code discovered in an iOS 27 beta suggests Apple is building a system that could restrict a financed iPhone if the owner misses payments, according to 9to5Mac. The discovery follows a Bloomberg report earlier in the week that said Apple is preparing a new "Apple Upgrade" financing scheme allowing customers to lease devices, which would make such a lockout mechanism relevant for the first time on iPhones sold directly by Apple.

Under the reported "Restricted Mode," an affected iPhone would lose access to nearly all apps, retaining only basics such as Phone, Settings and the App Store, via a new "App Managed Features" system that lets financing or partner apps continuously verify a device's payment status. The code also reportedly includes a "Partner Finance Lock", built on the Find My framework, that would stop a device being erased, resold or stripped for parts, though it apparently would not give financing partners access to the phone's location. As this is beta code, both the restriction feature and the "Apple Upgrade" programme remain unannounced and could change before release; Apple has not commented.