Starting with iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS 13.1, all expected to be released next week, users in the U.S. will be able to enable the new Advanced Data Protection feature, which extends end-to-end encryption to many more areas of iCloud, such as backups of messages, photos, notes, reminders, voice memos, and more.
To protect users, Apple allows the activation of Advanced Data Protection on a brand new device for an indefinite period of time after the device is first set up and added to the user’s Apple ID account (via Twitter). This step helps prevent a malicious actor from enabling the feature if a user is hacked. Users can also enable Advanced Data Protection from an older device they added to the same Apple ID account, such as another iPhone, iPad, or Mac. In this case, all devices added to that Apple ID account will be fully protected by iCloud Advanced End-to-End Encryption, even the newer devices that are still in the waiting period.
iCloud encryption: The waiting time is a protection mechanism
When you turn on Enhanced Data Protection, your encryption keys for the iCloud categories protected by the feature are removed from Apple servers, so your data remains safe even if data is lost in the cloud. When the feature is turned on, encryption keys are stored only on your trusted Apple devices, so neither Apple nor anyone else can access them. The feature can be turned off at any time, and your devices will then securely upload the encryption keys back to Apple servers. When Enhanced Data Protection is turned on, access to your data from iCloud.com is turned off by default. Users can turn on data access on iCloud.com, which gives the web browser and Apple temporary access to data-related encryption keys.
Advanced Data Protection will be released worldwide in early 2023
iCloud already protects 14 categories of data with end-to-end encryption by default without Advanced Privacy enabled, including passwords stored in iCloud Keychain, health data, Apple Maps search history, Apple Card transactions, and more. Apple has a support document with a table listing which data is protected by standard encryption and which is protected by Advanced Data Protection when it is enabled. According to Apple, Advanced Data Protection will initially only be available to users in the US and will expand to the rest of the world in early 2023. For more details on this feature, see our report on Apple's announcement earlier this week. (Photo by Panova2020 / Bigstockphoto)
