How to turn on Sensitive Content Warning on an iPhone
2 min read · 5 steps · Updated 4 October 2026
Open Settings, tap Privacy & Security, scroll down, tap Sensitive Content Warning and switch it on. The iPhone then blurs photos and videos that may contain nudity before you see them, in Messages, AirDrop, FaceTime, Contacts and shared albums.
- Device
- iPhone
- Shown on
- iOS 26.5 (iPhone 17)
- App
- Settings
- Path
- Settings › Privacy & Security › Sensitive Content Warning
- Real screenshots
- 5 of 5 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 1 official, linked below
Sensitive Content Warning hides unwanted nude pictures and videos behind a blur until you decide to look. It is off by default. The check happens on the iPhone itself: Apple states that it does not learn that something was detected and gets no access to the pictures. The feature needs iOS 17 or later.
The screenshots show iOS 26.5 on an iPhone 17. On older versions the rows have the same names, with a slightly different look.
Step by step
Open Settings and tap Privacy & Security
Scroll down in Settings to find it, below Screen Time.
Scroll down and tap Sensitive Content Warning
It is near the bottom of the page, below Safety Check. The word Off or On at the right shows the current state.
Switch on Sensitive Content Warning
The switch is at the top of the page. In the picture it is still off.
Choose where it applies
A list called App and Service Access appears. AirDrop, Contacts, FaceTime, Messages and Shared Albums are all switched on. Switch off the ones where you do not want the blur.
Decide about sharing analytics
Improve Sensitive Content Warning is off by default. If you switch it on, the iPhone sends usage data about the feature to Apple. According to the text on the page, no messages or pictures are shared.
Good to know
When something is blurred, you can tap to see it anyway, open safety resources, block the sender, or report the person to Apple.
On a child's iPhone the stronger version is Communication Safety, which is switched on in Screen Time: how to set up parental controls on a child's iPhone.
Unwanted pictures often arrive by AirDrop. Limit who can send to you: how to use AirDrop on an iPhone.
In short: Settings, Privacy & Security, Sensitive Content Warning, switch on, then choose the apps.
Links checked on 3 October 2026. Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.