Sometimes Apple is displeased.
Earlier this year, noted YouTuber Jon Prosser shared videos displaying what he claimed to be recreated renderings of what was thought to be Apple’s next-gen mobile operating system, then dubbed “iOS 19” before being unveiled as iOS 26 at WWDC in June.
Per MacRumors:
“In his first video back in January, Prosser showed off a Camera app redesign with a simpler set of buttons for moving between photo and video modes, and he followed that up with a March episode of his Genius Bar podcast where he showed off the Messages app, complete with round navigation buttons at the top and rounded corners around the keyboard.
And he wrapped things up with an April video that gave a more complete look at the Liquid Glass redesign that ultimately debuted in iOS 26, with rounder, glass-like interface elements, pill-shaped tab bars at the bottom of certain Apple apps, and more.”
Even though the Camera app redesign didn’t completely match Apple’s demo for iOS 26 at WWDC, the general idea was correct, and Prosser’s footage was pretty much spot on. Apple, in turn, filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti for misappropriation of trade secrets.
The complaint outlines what Apple claims is a series of events that led to the leaks, which include a development iPhone in the possession of Ramacciotti’s friend and Apple employee, Ethan Lipnik. Apple has stated that Prosser and Ramacciotti planned to access Lipnik’s phone, acquiring his passcode and then using location-tracking to determine when he “would be gone for an extended period.” The suit also alleges that Prosser offered financial compensation to Ramacciotti in return for assisting with accessing the development iPhone.
From there, Apple has stated that Ramacciotti accessed Lipnik’s development iPhone and made a FaceTime call to Prosser, showing off iOS 26 running on the development iPhone. Prosser then recorded the call using screen capture tools. Prosser then uploaded these videos to be shared with others, and the videos were then used to re-create renders of iOS 26 for his online content.
Lipnik’s phone contained a “significant amount of additional Apple trade secret information that has not yet been publicly disclosed,” and Apple says it does not know how much of that information is in the possession of Prosser and Ramacciotti.
Apple, looking to protect its trade secrets, has filed its lawsuit as a means of requesting an injunction against further disclosure of the company’s trade secrets and is seeking damages over the misappropriation of them. Lipnik, in turn, has been terminated from Apple over his failure to follow the company’s policies in order to protect development, along with unreleased devices and software. Lipnik also cited as having failed to disclose the breach to Apple once he learned of it through others who recognized his apartment in the recorded FaceTime call. Apple also apparently learned of the details from an anonymous email.
Prosser has offered the following comment via a post on X:
“For the record: This is not how the situation played out on my end,” Prosser said. ‘I did not ‘plot’ to access anyone’s phone. I did not have any passwords. I was unaware of how the information was obtained.’”
In a recent update, Prosser cited that he was “unaware of the situation playing out” and also claimed he was “looking forward to being able to speak to Apple about it.”
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors, @jon_prosser, Scribd, and The Register
