Apple preparing way to control iPhones with your mind, but there’s a catch

Apple will soon let users control their iPhone with their brain, but they’ll have to get an implant to make it work.

Over the years, Apple has worked to make its devices increasingly accessible to people with all types of disabilities and impairments.

A report from The Wall Street Journal says the Cupertino-based company is set to release its biggest accessibility feature yet, and it could come as soon as the end of 2025.

Apple is preparing to launch a way to control your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro with your mind, but you’ll have to let them place an implant on your brain.

iPhone brain controls could come sooner than later

Apple has partnered with Synchron to make the mind-control happen. The company they’ve partnered with makes a stent-like device that is implanted in a vein at the top of the brain’s motor cortex.

If it reaches full release, the implant could make Apple devices more accessible to tens of thousands of people with severe spinal cord injuries or ALS.

Synchron said in a press release that controlled trials of the device will start later in 2025, but one user already has the company’s implant installed.

Mark Jackson, who has ALS, is the early tester and has been able to use Apple’s Vision Pro headset to experience things he has never been able to do before, like stand over the ledge of a mountain in the Swiss Alps.

It’s still in early development, however. Jackson says he can’t use the tech to mimic moving a mouse cursor or touching a screen with his fingers, so navigation of the devices is much slower than if you were to use them normally.

Elon Musk’s company, Neuralink, has begun testing its brain implant as well, and the first patient revealed to Joe Rogan that it’s like “an aimbot” when he’s playing video games.