Apple Crackdown Suspected After iPhone 18 Pro Leak Videos Disappear

Apple could be taking action to limit the spread of leaked iPhone 18 Pro video footage that surfaced online following a recent cyberattack targeting Tata Electronics, one of Apple’s manufacturing partners in India.

Over the last day, video clips that apparently showed an iPhone 18 Pro undergoing drop testing began appearing on X (Twitter). The clips appeared to show a silver-gray iPhone 18 Pro model with a more uniform rear aesthetic than the current iPhone 17 Pro’s two-tone design. The device had the expected three-camera rear array, but the lenses appeared to protrude more from the plateau than on the iPhone 17 Pro. The Apple logo on the back of the device also appeared to have a reflective finish.

The clips were initially shared by an account using the @EvLeaks handle and were reposted by Ice Universe, but the posts have been taken down by X, citing a violation of the platform’s rules. The @EvLeaks account has since been suspended.

Evan Blass, who was previously associated with the EvLeaks name, says he has “nothing to do with the new @EvLeaks account nor the purported iPhone leak posted there.” Blass added: “Looks like Apple may have done what Samsung never could,” likely referring back to the hundreds of Samsung leaks that Blass himself has been able to freely make public unimpeded over the years.

9to5Mac this morning also pulled a report covering the leaked drop-test videos. It is not clear whether the posts were removed at Apple’s request or Tata’s request, or because the videos were later believed to be fake.

Elsewhere, over in China, Ice Universe claimed on Weibo that Apple had “already banned the leaked data on Twitter.”

Apple has not publicly commented on the removals, but the videos appeared to be genuine based on similar descriptions provided by Reuters.

The alleged leaked footage follows the outlet’s report that Apple is “concerned” about confidential files stolen from Tata Electronics and circulated on the dark web. Reuters said the leaked files included Apple-watermarked documents, component details, supplier information, codenames, and images of iPhone 18 Pro models during drop testing. Apple is said to be investigating the incident and working with Tata on long-term measures to improve security.

We are not sharing the videos or images of them here out of caution, though some are still circulating online. They may not last the day, however. The speed of the takedowns, if instigated by Apple, may indicate that the company is moving more aggressively than usual in the face of a major data breach in order to prevent further spread.

Alternatively, it could be that the videos simply originated from an X account that was suspended for impersonating someone else, and they where later deemed to be fakes for that reason. We should know for sure when the iPhone 18 Pro is released in September.