Apple's Messages Communication Safety Feature for Kids Expanding to the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple's Messages Communication Safety Feature for Kids Expanding to the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand

Apple is planning to expand its Communication Safety in Messages feature to the UK, according to The Guardian. Communication Safety in Messages was introduced in the iOS 15.2 update released in December, but the feature has been limited to the United States until now.

communication safety feature yellow
Communication Safety in Messages is designed to scan incoming and outgoing iMessage images on children's devices for nudity and warn them that such photos might be harmful. If nudity is detected in a photo that's received by a child, the photo will be blurred and the child will be provided with resources from child safety groups. Nudity in a photo sent by a child will trigger a warning encouraging the child not to send the image.

Communication Safety is opt-in, privacy-focused, and must be enabled by parents. It is limited to the accounts of children, with detection done on-device, and it is not related to the anti-CSAM functionality that Apple has in development and may release in the future.

We have a full guide on Communication Safety in Messages that walks through exactly how it works, where it's used, Apple's privacy features, and more.

Update: Communication Safety in Messages is also coming to Canada.

Update 2: The feature is also coming to Australia and New Zealand, according to The Verge.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....

Top Rated Comments

fwmireault Avatar
58 months ago

and it is not related to the anti-CSAM functionality
Well, we all know how this thread will end up with the people who didn't read the multiple articles explaining the difference between CSAM and Communication Safety
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Expos of 1969 Avatar
58 months ago
Apple has no interest in releasing many services and features outside the US, but this...
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
58 months ago
Pleased to see this come to the UK.

My daughter is 10 and so this comes at just the right time.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nortonandreev Avatar
58 months ago
Extremely disappointing.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
58 months ago

At least they say this is on-device and nothing is sent to Apple. But still, there is one functionality that would render these things useless, and it is called "Parenting"
What an incredibly naïve thing to say
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
usagora Avatar
58 months ago

At least they say this is on-device and nothing is sent to Apple. But still, there is one functionality that would render these things useless, and it is called "Parenting"
Um, parenting can involve using technology like this to help protect your children from harmful content or behavior. Even children with outstanding parents are still children - curious, often immature, naive, and make mistakes. While this technology isn't foolproof, of course, it's still a great tool for parents to have at their disposal.

It's not an either-or thing.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)