Apple is suing YouTuber Jon Prosser for posting details about iOS 26 on his channel earlier this year, which Apple says he acquired through “brazen and egregious” means.
Leaks are nothing new, but in this case, Apple says Prosser worked with Michael Ramacciotti, a product analyst and video editor at NTFTW, on a “coordinated scheme to break into an Apple development iPhone, steal Apple’s trade secrets, and profit from the theft,” MacRumors reports.
Apple alleges that “Ramacciotti needed money,” and Prosser promised “compensation in the form of money or a future job opportunity…in exchange for helping Mr. Prosser to access, obtain, and copy Apple confidential information,” according to the lawsuit, filed in California district court.
Ramacciotti was friends with Ethan Lipnik, who worked at Apple on unreleased software designs. During a visit to Lipnik’s apartment, Ramacciotti figured out the passcode on the development iPhone. Then, when Lipnik left the house, Ramacciotti broke into the phone, called Prosser on FaceTime, and let him see what was on the phone, Apple says. That information was later included in a video posted to Prosser’s YouTube channel.
Ramacciotti allegedly used location tracking to see where Lipnik was and make sure he didn’t walk in on Ramacciotti sharing details with Prosser.
“According to forensic evidence, Mr. Ramacciotti called Mr. Prosser before he unlocked the Development iPhone, indicating that Mr. Prosser was involved in the decision to improperly access Apple’s trade secrets,” according to Apple’s lawsuit.
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Lipnik didn’t find out about this until others “claimed to have seen Mr. Lipnik’s apartment in a video recording from Mr. Prosser,” according to Apple’s lawsuit. “Only then did Mr. Ramacciotti send an audio message to Mr. Lipnik detailing the compensation proposed by Mr. Prosser and their plan to acquire Apple information,” Apple says.
Apple was alerted to the scheme via an anonymous email on April 4. Lipnik also turned over the audio message from Ramacciotti. But even though Lipnik was allegedly duped, Apple still fired him, in part because his work agreement said he was not supposed to leave the development iPhone unattended.
Prosser started his leaks in January, with recreated renders of the new Camera app. Though the renders weren’t entirely accurate, the minimalist approach and circular navigation bar were similar to the final product. In a subsequent April video, Prosser leaked a lot more details about iOS 19, including the liquid glass design, the repositioned search and navigation bars, the updated animation for scrolls, and circular app icons. Almost all of those made it to the final iOS build Apple revealed at WWDC 2025.
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“Defendants’ unlawful acts, which constitute knowing and intentional trade secret misappropriation, have damaged Apple with respect to its competitors, including by giving them the advantage of knowing more about Apple’s software designs and unreleased functionality in advance of their release,” Apple says in the lawsuit.
Apple seeks to have the court prevent Ramacciotti and Prosser from disclosing any further trade secrets and pay damages.
Prosser denies any wrongdoing. “For the record: This is not how the situation played out on my end. Luckily have receipts for that. I did not ‘plot’ to access anyone’s phone. I did not have any passwords. I was unaware of how the information was obtained. Looking forward to speaking with Apple on this,” he wrote on X.
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About Jibin Joseph
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