Apple announces end-to-end encryption for many iCloud data

Apple has announced an important update for its online storage: end-to-end encryption will soon protect iCloud from unwanted access. However, not all services get the new feature.

This is how secure Apple’s iCloud will be in the future

For years, state authorities have been able to access extensive user data from Apple customers on request, if the laws of the country allow it. That doesn’t fit the group’s data protection image – Apple is now announcing a remedy in a press release.

End-to-end encryption will soon ensure that numerous iCloud services are protected from third-party access. The so-called Advanced Data Protection, Apple’s highest level of cloud data security, applies to the areas of photos, backups and iMessages as well as notes, browser bookmarks, reminders and above all the entire iCloud Drive storage.

The new protection allows neither Apple nor third parties to access the data between online storage and customer devices during transmission. But some services are excluded from the new function.

Not all iCloud services are encrypted

End-to-end encryption only applies to iCloud services that do not require third-party access. E-mails, calendar entries and the address book remain unencrypted so that the functions of the systems are not restricted.

Critics have been calling for more security in the cloud for years. Since Apple CEO Tim Cook announced in 2018, the industry has been eagerly waiting for Apple to give in, ensure more data protection and cooperate less with the authorities.

Other cloud storage providers already rely on extensive end-to-end encryption for their customers, including the major services from Amazon, Google and Microsoft. Apple is catching up with the update to iOS version 16.2. Gradual integration into iCloud services is to take place from early 2023.