Apple has changed how full-disk access permissions work, in a move clearly aimed at limiting the reach of AI agents and automation tools on user devices.

The tension is real. Software that can read everything a user can read is enormously useful for automation, and equally useful for a tool that wants to extract everything a user has.

Meta has argued that on-device models are not sufficient to enable the kind of personal context that assistants need, and that Apple’s own privacy rules therefore make features the company has promised impossible to build.

Apple disagrees, arguing that tighter permissions are what make the broader category viable. The outcome will shape how much context third-party assistants can expect to access on iOS for years.