Apple’s upcoming iPhone update has Republican strategists warning it could choke off millions in fundraising before the 2026 midterm elections.
Republican campaign officials and digital operatives say the upcoming iOS 26 update, set to roll out in September, will alter how text messages from unknown numbers are filtered on iPhones.
Moving forward, this update will create a separate folder for messages that come from a number not saved in the iPhone and do not have an existing chain of messages. As a result, these messages will no longer create an alert for the user, according to Fox News.
Although this update will affect users regardless of political identity, some have argued that it will disproportionately affect Republican operations.
Sean Dollman, founding partner of American Made Media Company and parent company of Launchpad Strategies, which ran digital strategy for Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, said the move fits a familiar pattern.
“It’s no surprise that Big Tech wants to stop Donald Trump and other Republicans from communicating with people, because they’ve tried every other method to interfere already,” Dollman said to Fox News.
“Big Tech has suppressed him, suspended him, and banned him outright. And now they’re trying to make it so he can’t text anybody either. But MAGA won’t be stopped, and MAGA will always find a way.”
Apple has utilized text filtering in previous versions of iOS, with the feature available as an option since iOS 13.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee reportedly circulated an internal memo in July warning that the change could cost Republican candidates more than $25 million in lost revenue, according to Fox News.
Currently, the iOS 26 update is available to iPhone users participating in Apple’s beta testing program, but it has not been fully released to the public.
Apple has confirmed that the change will not be included by default, but no other comment on the matter has been provided.