9to5Mac: macOS 27.3 reportedly tightens Full Disk Access
9to5Mac reports Apple is closing a loophole that made granting broad Mac permissions too easy for AI agents.
TL;DR
- 9to5Mac says macOS 27.3 will stop logging apps that request Full Disk Access.
- Users will no longer see quick toggles in Settings for those apps.
- Private Folders for scoped iMessage access are also under discussion.
9to5Mac reports Apple is tightening privacy rules around Full Disk Access in an upcoming macOS update after AI agents started requesting the permission and then accessing user data without clear consent.
According to 9to5Mac, the company first announced apps would need “very explicit user action” for Full Disk Access. Details stayed vague until a code sifter named pdfu posted on X about changes expected as soon as macOS 27.3.
Right now, when an app asks for a protected file it lacks permission for, macOS denies the request but logs the app in Settings so users can flip a toggle. 9to5Mac says developers often nudge people to open that panel themselves.
Under the reported change, those requests will no longer get logged, so the app won’t appear as a quick option. 9to5Mac notes users could still drag an app icon into the Settings panel manually, though the feature is still in development.
The same report mentions talk of Private Folders that might let apps reach just the iMessage database instead of everything on disk. 9to5Mac says it’s unclear how that would work.
The Tea
AI tools keep pushing for the keys to the whole house because there’s no smaller keyring yet. Closing the sneaky toggle trick is a start, but until Apple gives agents proper scoped access, plenty of users will still hand over Full Disk Access just to let an agent read their texts.