Everything you need to know about Apple’s changes to encryption in the UK – 9to5Mac

Apple today announced that it has removed its Advanced Data Protection feature in the UK. The decision comes after the UK government ordered Apple to build a worldwide backdoor into iCloud encryption. Instead of complying with that order, Apple chose to remove the feature in the UK.

There’s a huge piece of nuance getting missed in a lot of the coverage of today’s announcement. Apple is not “removing end-to-end encryption” from the UK as some headlines have suggested. The company is removing the Advanced Data Protection feature, yes, but that feature exists separately from Apple’s broader end-to-end encryption efforts.

By default, iCloud offers end-to-end encryption for 15 different data categories.

In December 2022, Apple introduced Advanced Data Protection as a separate, opt-in way for users to protect additional categories of iCloud data. If you opt-in to Advanced Data Protection, the number of data categories protected by end-to-end encryption increases. It’s those additional categories of iCloud data that are impacted by Apple pulling Advanced Data Protection from the UK.

This means these iCloud data categories will no longer benefit from end-to-end encryption in the UK:

• iCloud Backup
• iCloud Drive
• Photos
• Notes
• Reminders
• Safari Bookmarks
• Siri Shortcuts
• Voice Memos
• Wallet Passes
• Freeform

In the UK, those categories are instead now covered by standard data protection, just as they were before Apple introduced the optional Advanced Data Protection setting in December 2022.

Here’s how Apple describes standard data protection:

Standard data protection is the default setting for your account. Your iCloud data is encrypted in transit and stored in an encrypted format at rest. The encryption keys from your trusted devices are secured in Apple data centers, so Apple can decrypt your data on your behalf whenever you need it, such as when you sign in on a new device, restore from a backup, or recover your data after you’ve forgotten your password. As long as you can successfully sign in to your Apple Account, you can access your backups, photos, documents, notes, and more.

What’s still end-to-end encrypted in the UK?

What is not changing as part of Apple’s decision to pull Advanced Data Protection from the UK is the end-to-end encryption offered for those initial 15 different iCloud data categories. This means that the following iCloud data categories are still protected by end-to-end encryption by default for all users in the UK:

1. Passwords and Keychain
2. Health data
3. Journal data
4. Home data
5. Messages in iCloud
6. Payment information
7. Apple Card transactions
8. Maps
9. QuickType Keyboard learned vocabulary
10. Safari
11. Screen Time
12. Siri information
13. Wi-Fi passwords
14. W1 and H1 Bluetooth keys
15. Memoji

You’ll notice that some of the biggest and most important categories are on that list and still protected by end-to-end encryption, such as your Health data, passwords, and Messages in iCloud. Furthermore, Apple’s communication platforms are also still fully end-to-end encrypted, including iMessage and FaceTime.

Finally, it’s important to remember that most Apple users in the United Kingdom likely never opted into Advanced Data Protection in the first place. The feature has always existed as an optional setting for Apple users who wanted that extra layer of security.

Apple also says that users who previously opted into Advanced Data Protection will have to disable it to keep accessing their iCloud account. The company says it will provide more details on that process in the future.

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