India, July 27 -- Apple's new leasing program is being positioned as a way to make expensive iPhones more affordable. Buried inside the iOS 27 beta, though, 9to5Mac uncovered something far more consequential than payment terms: Apple has built the software mechanism to remotely disable a leased iPhone the moment a payment is missed.

The code describes a system called App Managed Features, which lets an authorised financing partner-Klarna, in this case-enrol a leased iPhone and perform ongoing payment status checks. If the account falls out of good standing, Apple's own system services can trigger what's called Restricted Mode, blocking access to nearly every app on the phone. A small allowlist survives: App Store, Phone, Clock, Settings,...