Apple to crack down on iOS 16 junk messages

Apple is cracking down on SMS-based junk messages and revamped message filtering in iOS 16 beta for developers.

The new update allows developers of the Filter extension to categorize non-personal messages into 12 subcategories within 'Transactions' and 'Promotions'.

As reported by TechCrunch, the Transactions category includes Finance, Reminders, Orders, Health, Public Services, Weather, Carriers, Rewards and Others and the Promotions category includes Offers, Coupons and more.

During its annual flagship developer conference WWDC22, Apple outlined how developers can incorporate these categories into their SMS filters.

In the US, users will be able to report spam messages to carriers with a new 'Report Junk' in iOS 16.

This feature will be available only with select carriers.

The report says that even if you are using the iPhone in dual-SIM mode, you will be able to filter messages based on their SIM.

iOS 16 also introduced support for users to bypass CAPTCHA in supported apps and websites which can be found in the Settings app.

When enabled, iCloud will automatically and privately verify your device and Apple ID account in the background, eliminating the need for apps and websites to present you with a captcha verification prompt.

This new system will provide better user experience for tasks like signing in or creating an account with better user privacy and accessibility as compared to CAPTCHA.