According to MacRumors, Apple claims YouTuber Prosser worked with Michael Ramacciotti to access a company phone belonging to Ethan Lipnik, an Apple software engineer who worked on the next version of iPhone software, iOS 26.
The lawsuit alleges Prosser offered Ramacciotti “money or a future job opportunity” in exchange for access to the device.
Ramacciotti is accused of learning Lipnik’s iPhone passcode, using “location-tracking” to determine when Lipnik would be away from home, and then accessing the phone running a development build of iOS 26.
Apple states that Ramacciotti showed the unreleased software to Prosser over a video call. Prosser allegedly recorded this call, shared the footage with others, and used it to create detailed renders of the new designs seen in iOS 26, such as Liquid Glass.
The company reportedly discovered the scheme in April after receiving an anonymous email from someone claiming to have seen Prosser’s video recording and recognising Lipnik’s apartment.
Apple also claims to possess a voice note sent by Ramacciotti to Lipnik, apologising for the incident and blaming Prosser for orchestrating the subterfuge.
Lipnik was subsequently fired by Apple for failing to properly secure unreleased software.
Apple claims these leaks caused “significant commercial harm” by revealing unannounced products and software plans to competitors and the public.
The filing states: “Mr. Prosser deliberately sought to circumvent Apple’s security protocols by inducing individuals with privileged access to share proprietary information.
“His actions were unlawful, harmful to Apple’s business, and a direct violation of trade secrets law.”
Prosser has since denied any wrongdoing, and wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Interesting. This is not how things went down on my end. Looking forward to being able to speak to Apple about it.”
In another post, he added: “For the record: I certainly did not ‘plot’ to access anyone’s phone and was unaware of the situation playing out.”
Apple is seeking damages and an injunction to stop Prosser from publishing or sharing future leaks. The case is likely to draw significant attention, given Prosser’s long history of high-profile Apple scoops.
