The CAPTCHA test is one of the most annoying things you may encounter while visiting a website or signing up for a new application. Although the silly question: Are you a robot? might raise your blood pressure, choosing fire hydrants, fire trucks, and even water taps makes the annoyance exaggerated! You might end up leaving the app or website without even signing up. But if you’re wondering about the reason for such an annoying thing, we explained the answer in a previous article [Why do you have to prove you’re not a robot while browsing the internet?] and the purpose of having such verification mechanisms, and their great benefits in preventing automated software “bots” from creating fake accounts and other useful things.
However, all the desired benefits do not serve you as a user at all. And while some websites offer magical add-ons to automatically solve verification tests, Apple has decided to make things easier for users of its iOS 16-enabled iPhones through a fantastic feature that allows you to bypass verification tests automatically. How does this feature work? How do you activate it? Are there any potential risks if we enable the feature to bypass verification tests automatically? I am pleased to answer these questions starting from the next paragraphs.
Apple unveiled many features during its “WWDC 2022” worldwide developer conference that covered all operating systems for its various devices including iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. However, among the features that were not revealed during the conference is the “Private Access Tokens” feature that will be available in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura, and its simple concept is to allow websites to automatically verify that you are “not a robot” and completely bypass the CAPTCHA test. We will explain more details later, but let’s first review how to activate this feature on iPhones.
How to Automatically Bypass CAPTCHA Tests on iOS 16
Unlike the classic method of solving verification tests automatically, the “Private Access Tokens” technology provided by Apple in the iOS 16 system makes things simpler. All you have to do is follow some steps to activate it, and then you won’t have to solve those tests – to some extent. To do this, go to “Settings” and then click on your Apple ID account name at the top. Then click on “Password & Security” and scroll down where you will find a new option to activate the “Automatic Verification” feature. Activate it and then restart your phone and say goodbye to CAPTCHA tests forever.
Read also: The official way to find your lost or stolen iPhone even if it’s turned off
How does Automatic Verification Feature Work?
We have previously discussed Apple’s use of password keys instead of passwords in iOS 16, and perhaps Apple’s experience has opened up new horizons for it to innovate the “Automatic Verification” feature that will replace CAPTCHA tests and make them a thing of the past. This feature does not mean that the iPhone will solve the tests for you, but through a somewhat complex process that happens in the background. Your iPhone will connect to iCloud servers at Apple, which will check your device’s identity. If confirmed, the website requesting the verification test will be contacted, and based on the above, Apple’s servers will request the creation of a unique code specific to your device which will be delivered through iCloud servers to the website. Once the website receives the code, it will allow you to enter without the need for CAPTCHA tests, especially since the code is simply a confirmation that you are a normal person and not a robot or automated software.
Apple has already shared on its official developer website a video explaining how Private Access Tokens technology works which relies on a complex process that involves your iPhone, your Apple ID account, Apple servers, and servers belonging to the website/application you are trying to register with.
Simply put, your iPhone will connect to the iCloud server at Apple, which will verify your device’s identity, and upon confirmation, it will connect to the website requesting the verification test. Based on the above, Apple’s servers will request the creation of a unique code specific to your device which will be delivered to the website via iCloud servers. Once the concerned website receives the code, it will allow you access without the CAPTCHA test, especially since the code is only a confirmation that you are a normal person and not a robotic software.
Here comes an important question: Are there any risks of using the automatic verification feature? Of course not, digital safety is a priority for Apple, and however, we need to clarify that there are no risks of using the automatic verification feature as Apple’s servers will never share your data or identity details with the website. Simply, it will prove that you are one of its users and not a robotic software. As previously mentioned, the whole process will take place in the background, and it will not require any permission access, and it has no connection to any sensitive information, especially as the verification test is just a routine procedure to differentiate between software and regular users, and therefore, it is not based on personal data even if simple like knowing an IP address.
Currently, it all depends on websites’ support for this technology. Since Apple introduced it, websites like Cloudflare and Fastly have shown their intention to support the feature to dispense with CAPTCHA testing. But because adopting this technology is somewhat easy, over time it will be supported in millions of applications and websites.
