Apple announced on October 2, 2026, that it plans to add controls requiring users to take explicit action before granting an app Full Disk Access (FDA) in macOS. The permission can expose sensitive personal data, so the change is about how users grant that access—not a blanket ban on AI agents. Apple’s announcement describes a planned change, not a completed rollout.
What Apple announced
Apple says users will have to take “very explicit” action before an app receives Full Disk Access. The announcement describes additional controls for granting the permission; it does not lay out their design.
What Full Disk Access can expose
Full Disk Access is a broad permission that can let an app bypass significant privacy controls. Apple names files, mail, messages, and browsing history among the data that may be exposed.
The consequences can reach beyond the Mac user. Apple warns that access to communications can also affect the privacy of the people communicating with them.
Why Apple plans additional controls
Apple says Full Disk Access largely sidesteps existing protections so backup apps can work properly. That makes the permission useful, but also gives it a wide reach: Apple says some developers use it in ways that can put users’ data at risk without their full understanding.
Apple also points to increasingly capable, autonomous AI agents as a reason the risks may grow. Its announced response is to require a more deliberate user action before an app receives Full Disk Access.
