Impersonation Risk Detection, available starting with iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, lets a supporting app ask your device for a scam risk level before you send a payment or change your password. Let’s look at how to use it.
- Go to the Settings app on your iPad.
- Tap Privacy & Security, then tap Impersonation Risk Detection. (You may need to scroll down.)
- Turn Share with App Developers on or off.
What is Impersonation Risk Detection?
Impersonation Risk Detection helps protect against active social engineering scams. In these scams, an attacker might pose as a bank, government agency, or someone you trust to pressure or guide you into making a payment or changing your account details. Traditional security measures like two-factor authentication can’t always detect this kind of scam. That’s because you’re taking the action, even though you’ve been tricked or pressured.
Impersonation Risk Detection analyzes information about your device and Apple Account to help detect signs of an active scam. Based on this analysis, it returns a risk level to the app. The app receives only the risk level, not the underlying information used to generate it.
The app decides what to do next. For example, it might ask you to verify your identity, add a delay, or show a warning.
Impersonation Risk Detection is available starting with iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. It’s available only in apps that support it.
How Impersonation Risk Detection works
When you use a supported app, it can request a risk assessment when you take actions that might be especially risky during a scam. Risky actions might include making a payment or changing critical security information for your account, like your password.
Based on analysis of your device and Apple Account, Impersonation Risk Detection returns one of these risk levels:
- Unknown: No evidence of suspicious activity was detected. This doesn’t mean that the action was confirmed as safe.
- Medium: Some signs of suspicious activity were detected.
- High: Significant signs of suspicious activity were detected.
The app uses this risk level to decide what action to take. Apple doesn’t determine or control the action that the app takes.
