- Viral Videos of Fake iPhone Privacy Screen Feature Are Circulating
- It appears to be a prototype made by a Figma creator.
- Apple does not have the existing hardware to implement a feature like this
Have you been watching viral videos of Apple’s supposed version of Samsung’s Privacy Display tool? I hate to break it to you, but they’re all fake, and even I foolishly succumbed to them.
Essentially, several creators on TikTok have shown off a privacy screen feature in what looks exactly like Apple’s iPhone settings. These accounts claim that the feature is part of a beta testing rollout for developers, which generated thousands of comments, but twice as much confusion given that Apple just released iOS 26.4.
It turns out that, despite how real they may seem, these viral videos are fake and Apple has not revealed any plans to implement its own privacy screen feature. I’m on Apple’s iOS 26 public beta and have checked my settings many times; no such tool exists.
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So why do these videos seem so compelling? After reviewing some videos and the comments below them, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Apple doesn’t have the hardware
Just a few months ago, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the flagship model for its impressive Privacy Display feature that allows you to hide notifications and other on-screen content from those who are not looking directly at the phone. Naturally, it would only be a matter of time before Apple jumped on this, but now is not that time, because Apple simply doesn’t have existing hardware that could support a privacy feature like this.
When it comes to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the display is built differently than previous models, using “narrow” pixels that emit light forward and “wide” pixels that emit light to the sides. When Privacy Screen is enabled, wide pixels operate at a minimum level, restricting visibility for side viewers with narrow pixels giving the user in front complete clarity.
For Apple to implement its own privacy screen tool on existing hardware, it would need similar pixel technology to support this, so what you’ve seen in the viral videos is definitely fake. But still, how has its creator been able to replicate Samsung’s tool on iPhones that are incapable of offering support? One word; prototype.
Users become creative and viewers become naïve
Sifting through endless comments has its benefits, and it appears that the Apple privacy screen tool you’re seeing online is a prototype created by user and self-proclaimed ‘iOS exploiter’ @nxtcoreee3 on TikTok, whose video has amassed over 12 million views as of this writing. The user claims to have developed the prototype using Figma, a design tool used to create user interfaces and experiences.
In addition to the developer’s video, other users with access to the prototype have been sharing their own videos, making it look like this is a legitimate beta release. But each video has one thing in common; All devices in the videos have the timestamp 3:19. This is no coincidence, as user @nxtcoreee3 explicitly writes in his TikTok bio ‘3:19 is my watermark’, proving that the iOS tool is completely made up.
With this combined with Apple’s lack of supporting hardware, it’s safe to say that Apple won’t be rolling out this privacy tool anytime soon, and that the videos circulating online are simply creative examples of what Apple could produce. But despite this, I wouldn’t say the cards are completely off the table for Apple when it comes to developing its own version in the future.
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