During slower parts of the workday, it's easy for employees to feel the urge to check their social media accounts or browse the Web. But in fear that their boss will catch them being unproductive, many people may opt to instead kill some time on their phones. But iPhone users who were provided with their smartphone from their job might want to be careful what they do on it during work hours because their boss may very well be watching.

Apple continues to stand its ground in the encryption battle against the federal government. And while customer's personal data is safe from the government for now, that doesn't mean that work phones are safe from supervisors being able to track their employees. So to improve transparency when it comes to iOS devices that are managed by a company or institution through the built-in mobile device management program (MDM), Apple is taking steps to make sure that these users are aware of their boss' behavior.

According to Reddit user MaGNeTiX, Apple is testing a feature in the beta version of iOS 9.3 that alerts users that their iPhone is being managed by their organization.

Work iPhones that use the built-in MDM features that run on iOS 9.3 will still allow the company to monitor their employees' Internet traffic and control the device remotely. The employees' data will still be protected if they set a password, PIN or use their fingerprint, but Apple will make sure the employee knows big brother could be watching them.

MaGNeTiX shared screenshots of what the work alerts would look like if the feature is part of the public release of iOS 9.3. Taken from an iPhone that has the beta version of the operating system, the photo reveals there is a message outlined in red located at the bottom of the lock screen that reads, "This iPhone is managed by your organization."

Another shot shows another reminder in the iPhone's Settings. When going to General > About in the Settings, Apple has posted about message under Name that reads, "This iPhone is supervised. [The company name] can monitor your Internet traffic and locate this device."

Being able to track employees is nothing new, but at least Apple is now working on informing its users that their boss can check in on them at any time. This comes as Apple is fighting for user privacy in court against the FBI after the agency asked for its help in the investigation regarding the San Bernardino shooting in California that left 14 people dead.

iOS 9.3 is expected to be released later this month, followed by the company's iPhone SE and new iPad Pro reveal on March 21. Other new features for iOS 9.3 as part of its beta include a new mode called Night Shift that would reduce blue light emitted in the evening, as well as new features to CarPlay and Touch ID integration for Notes.

Source: The Telegraph

Photo: Japanexperterna.se | Flickr