New iPhone Setting Lets Users Shake Off Motion-Sensing Ads

Apple is testing an iPhone setting for users in China that lets them add apps to a list that prevents them from accessing the device’s motion sensors. Apple hasn’t explicitly said what the setting is for, but Chinese apps sometimes show “shake-to-open” ads on launch, and they can be triggered by merely picking up an iPhone, walking, or going over a bump in a car, resulting in unwanted redirects.

Users in China speculate this is why iOS 27.2 beta 2 includes a new “Restrict Motion Data” app blacklist in Settings that blocks access to accelerometer and gyroscope data. For now, the option appears tied to mainland China App Store accounts, and we don’t expect that it will be available to iPhone users more broadly when iOS 27.2 is released later this year.