Apple's upcoming leasing program may come with a big caveat

A program rumored to launch as soon as next week will allow customers to lease Apple hardware, but financing companies can lock down those devices for missed payments.

The Apple Upgrade program will provide 12- to 36-month leases on iPhones, iPads, and iMacs, but may also mean giving up control of your device. 9to5Mac reports that code found in a beta of iOS27, the next major upgrade to Apple's mobile OS, references a new system called App Managed Features, which allows authorized financing companies or carriers to disable all but a few apps.

If the contract is no longer in good standing, Apple's system services can place the iPhone in "Restricted Mode," which blocks access to most apps until the payment or contract issue is resolved, while keeping a small set of apps available. The fixed allowlist currently found in the iOS 27 beta includes:

• Accessibility Reader
• App Store
• Health
• Magnifier
• Phone
• Clock
• Settings
• Wallet
• Passwords
• The Restricted Mode interface itself

Also included is "Partner Finance Lock," which prevents the device from being erased or sold.

Ford patented a similar system for cars in 2023 called the "repossession system computer." The RPC would have tormented delinquent owners by disabling features like GPS and air conditioning, blasting them with sound, and eventually restricting their movements via geofencing. The automaker quietly abandoned the project early in 2024, however, without ever implementing it.

Apple Upgrade was already a downgrade from the iPhone Upgrade Program, which allowed for paying over time, upgrading after 12 months, and included AppleCare+ with theft and loss. Apple Upgrade looks to include none of that, while reminding us that leasing isn't ownership.

Previously:

• I bought Apple's overpriced headphone cable and I'm not proud of it

• Apple deleted files that I owned without telling me. It was inevitable, but I'm still pissed.

• Slow motion video of an Apple Watch ejecting water

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