Apple Warns UK iPhone Owners It Will Remove Encryption Protection

One of Apple’s optional features is Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, which offers the company’s highest level of cloud data security. Apple has just announced that this is no longer available to new users in the United Kingdom. This is much more than a question of security, not just because it affects so many people but because of what may have caused it, and what it means for your data.

How Do I Know If I Have ADP On?

Setting up the feature used to be straightforward: go to Settings on the iPhone, for instance, choose iCloud and scroll down to iCloud+ features. There you’ll see Advanced Data Protection and you can turn it on. Well, you could until now.

In the U.K., if you haven’t opted to turn it on already, you will see an explainer of the service when you click, and a banner that reads, “Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection (ADP) in the United Kingdom to new users.”

Those who have already enabled it will be given a period of time to disable the feature themselves to keep using their iCloud account.

What Has Apple Said?

"Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection (ADP) in the United Kingdom to new users and current UK users will eventually need to disable this security feature. ADP protects iCloud data with end-to-end encryption, which means the data can only be decrypted by the user who owns it, and only on their trusted devices. We are gravely disappointed that the protections provided by ADP will not be available to our customers in the UK given the continuing rise of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy. Enhancing the security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever before. Apple remains committed to offering our users the highest level of security for their personal data and are hopeful that we will be able to do so in the future in the United Kingdom. As we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will,” the company said in a statement shared with me.

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And that’s all the company is saying. There’s no reason given for the withdrawal of the service, but the language, such as “gravely disappointed” makes clear that Apple may not have done this voluntarily.

So, why? There have been reports recently that the U.K. government had instructed Apple to create a back door to allow it to access data, for security reasons, something which, if true, Apple would not be permitted to acknowledge.

With no back door offered, as Apple says it wasn’t, the only solution seems to have been removing the service, which means the “highest level of cloud data security” is no longer available to new users.

What Does This Mean For Your Data?

It doesn’t affect the iCloud data categories which are end-to-end encrypted by default. Health data and iCloud Keychain, for instance remain protected, as do 12 other data categories.

But for the other nine categories, standard data protection will apply instead. These categories are iCloud Backup; iCloud Drive; Photos; Notes; Reminders; Safari Bookmarks; Siri Shortcuts; Voice Memos; Wallet Passes; and Freeform.

How About The Rest Of The World?

ADP continues to be available everywhere else.