New iOS 26 security setting aims to curb juice-jacking risks on iPhone

Apple’s latest software, iOS 26, includes a security control designed to stop hackers from stealing information through a physical cable or charging station.

This type of attack is known as “juice jacking” — when a charger or charging port is modified to quietly access your phone’s data while it charges.

These attacks don’t require the hacker to get hold of your phone or know your passcode, which is why they’re attractive to criminals in places like airports, hotels, shopping centers, conference halls, or stadiums.

Most people assume the danger is online — through unsafe Wi-Fi or phishing links — but hardware-based attacks can be harder for everyday users to notice.

When a harmful device is plugged in, everything still looks normal. The screen usually stays off, the phone charges like usual, and there is no pop-up warning unless your settings are stricter than the default. That silent behavior is exactly why Apple introduced new controls in iOS 26.

What the new setting actually does

The feature is called Wired Accessories, and it governs whether your iPhone should “trust” something that connects through the charging port. The setting is found under Settings > Privacy & Security > Security > Wired Accessories. Apple provides four options:

• Always Ask – you must approve every connection.
• Ask for New Accessories – you approve once per device.
• Automatically Allow When Unlocked – the default setting, which trusts anything if your phone is unlocked.
• Always Allow – the least secure, no warnings at all.

Fig 1. How to turn on the new setting. (Source: MacWorld)

The biggest risk is that your iPhone defaults to one of the less secure options. If you plug into a charger while your phone is unlocked, you’ve already granted trust in the background.

Switching to Always Ask or Ask for New Accessories prevents silent approval and gives you a chance to block suspicious hardware while still allowing normal charging.

A known bug and why you should still change this setting

Some users have reported a temporary bug in iOS 26 where the safer options are greyed out and unavailable for iPhones with an older Lightning connector. This doesn’t affect every device, but when it does occur, only the less secure settings remain selectable.

Apple is preparing a software update to fix the issue, so if you run into this glitch, the safest approach is simply to avoid unfamiliar charging stations until the update arrives.

Even with that bug affecting a small number of users, changing this setting is still one of the quickest and most effective defenses you can enable, especially if you often charge your iPhone in public or while traveling.

A malicious cable needs only a few seconds of trust to begin a data connection. Turning on Always Ask or Ask for New Accessories ensures that trust is never granted silently in the background, making it far harder for a compromised charger to take advantage of your device.