No, Apple isn’t rolling out its version of Samsung’s Privacy Display — but the fake viral videos are convincing

Viral videos of a fake iPhone privacy screen feature is circulating
It appears to be a prototype made by a creator on Figma
Apple doesn’t have the existing hardware to roll out a feature like this

Have you been seeing viral videos of Apple’s alleged take on Samsung’s Privacy Display tool? I hate to break it to you, but they’re all fake — and even I foolishly succumbed to them.

Essentially, a number of creators on TikTok have been showcasing a privacy screen feature in what looks exactly like Apple’s iPhone settings. These accounts claim that the feature is part of a developer beta testing roll out, garnering thousands of comments, but twice the confusion given that Apple just rolled out iOS 26.4.

It turns out that, despite how real they may look, these viral videos are fake and Apple hasn’t revealed any plans to roll out its own privacy screen feature. I’m on Apple’s iOS 26 public beta and have checked my settings many times — no such tool exists.

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So why do these videos look frighteningly convincing? After scouring a handful of videos and the comments underneath them, there are a few things you should be aware of.

Apple doesn’t have the hardware

Just a few months back Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the flagship model for its impressive Privacy Display feature which lets you hide notifications and other on-screen content from those who aren’t looking at the phone straight-on. Naturally, it would be only a matter of time before Apple would jump on this — but now isn’t that time, because Apple simply doesn’t have existing hardware that can support a privacy feature like this.

When it comes to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the screen is built differently to previous models, using ‘narrow’ pixels which emit light forwards, and ‘wide’ pixels that emit light to the sides. When Privacy Display is enabled, wide pixels operate at a minimum level, restricting…

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