Apple has filed a lawsuit against prominent tech leaker Jon Prosser, accusing him of stealing trade secrets related to iOS 26 before its official reveal at WWDC 2025.
According to court documents, Apple claims Prosser worked with another individual, Michael Ramacciotti, to secretly access a development iPhone belonging to Ethan Lipnik, an Apple software engineer. Apple alleges that Ramacciotti learned Lipnik’s iPhone passcode, tracked his location to find a time when he would be away from home, and then accessed the device, which was running a confidential pre-release version of iOS 26.
Apple says Prosser was shown the unreleased software during a video call, which he recorded. The information was then used to create renders and leak details of iOS 26’s new features through his YouTube channel Front Page Tech and his Genius Bar Podcast.
Among the leaks were previews of a redesigned camera app, changes to the Messages app, and Apple’s new Liquid Glass design language, which were shared months before Apple’s official announcements. At the time, the leaks referred to the update as iOS 19, prior to Apple renaming it iOS 26.
The lawsuit claims Apple learned of the incident in April after receiving an anonymous email from someone who claimed to have seen Prosser’s recording and recognized Lipnik’s apartment in the footage. Apple also obtained a voice note allegedly sent from Ramacciotti to Lipnik, in which he apologizes and claims the plan was Prosser’s idea. Following the incident, Lipnik was fired by Apple for failing to secure unreleased company software.
Prosser has denied Apple’s allegations in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “That is not how the situation played out on my end,” and claiming he has evidence to defend himself. “I did not ‘plot’ to access anyone’s phone. I did not have any passwords. I was unaware of how the information was obtained.”
Apple is seeking financial damages and a court order to prevent Prosser from sharing any more of its trade secrets. Even though iOS 26 has since been made public, Apple says the development phone contained other unannounced features that are still at risk.
The case adds to the ongoing debate over leaks and transparency in the tech industry, where early information often fuels online content but raises serious legal and ethical concerns.
