Is it encrypted? Secria

Is iCloud encrypted?

Only if you turn on Advanced Data Protection. Then only your own devices can unlock your iCloud photos, files and backups. Without it, Apple holds the keys.

Checked on 25 October 2026 against 7 sources.

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iCloudApple
Who can read itPersonal accounts
  • Your photos and filesOnly you, once you turn it onPhotos and iCloud Drive are sealed once you turn on Advanced Data Protection, which new users in the UK can't do.1, 2, 3, 5Turn it on
  • Shared links and albumsApple can read itShared Albums, documents you edit together in Apple's office apps, and links for anyone are never sealed, and shared folders and the Shared Photo Library are sealed only when everyone in them has Advanced Data Protection on.1, 4
  • Post-quantumNot yetNo post-quantum protection for stored iCloud data announced as of 25 October 2026; Apple has added it to iMessage and to connections.6
  • BackupsOnly you, once you turn it onApple holds the keys to your device backups, including a key to your iMessage history in iCloud, until you turn on Advanced Data Protection, which new UK users can't.1, 5Turn it on
Who holds the keys
By default Apple holds the keys in its data centers; with Advanced Data Protection on, only your trusted devices hold them.
What Apple can still see
Even with Advanced Data Protection on, Apple can see some details, such as file sizes, types and dates, photo dates, your backup device's name and model, and who you share with.
Checked on 25 Oct 2026SourcesJSONCite

Turn on Advanced Data Protection, once

  1. Update every Apple device signed in to your Apple Account to current software.
  2. Open Settings › your name › iCloud › Advanced Data Protection.
  3. Tap Turn On Advanced Data Protection.
  4. If you haven't set up a recovery contact or recovery key, tap Account Recovery › Set Up Account Recovery and follow the steps.

Keep your recovery key or recovery contact safe: Apple can't get your data back for you. New users in the UK can't turn this on.

Email is worth checking next: Gmail, Outlook and iCloud Mail can all read your mailbox. See which email services can.

Can Apple see my iCloud photos and files?

By default, Apple can. Your photos and iCloud Drive files are encrypted, but Apple keeps the keys in its data centers, which lets it help you get your data back if you're locked out1. Apple's guidelines for US police say it can hand over stored photos, documents and device backups in response to a search warrant7.

With Advanced Data Protection on, only your trusted devices hold the keys. Apple says it deletes its copies, and can no longer decrypt your photos, iCloud Drive, backups or notes4, 7.

Is iCloud Backup end-to-end encrypted?

Not by default. Apple holds the keys to your iPhone and iPad backups, and each backup holds a copy of the key to your iMessage history in iCloud1. So while backups are on, those messages are only as sealed as the backup.

Turning on Advanced Data Protection seals the backups and the key inside them1.

Can I turn on Advanced Data Protection in the UK?

Not as a new user. Apple stopped offering it to people in the UK in 2025, and its notice still says so on 25 October 20265. There, iCloud Backup, iCloud Drive, Photos, Notes and some other data stay under standard protection, where Apple holds the keys5.

Apple says it can't switch the feature off for UK users who already had it, and that they will get time to turn it off themselves5. It is still offered everywhere else in the world, and Apple says it hopes to bring it back to the UK5.

What does Advanced Data Protection not cover?

Shared Albums in Photos, documents you edit together with others in Apple's office apps, and anything you share with "anyone with the link" are never sealed, even with it on1, 4. iCloud Mail, Contacts and Calendars aren't covered either1.

Turning it on also switches off web access to your data on iCloud.com. If you turn web access back on, you approve each sign-in on one of your devices, which then hands Apple and your browser the keys for what you open, for the next hour1, 4.

How iCloud compares

Sorted by how many parts are sealed by default, then by how many can be. Ties go A to Z.

iCloudOptionalDropboxNoGoogle DriveNoGoogle PhotosNoOneDriveNo

Sources

  1. iCloud data security overview (published 5 January 2026), Apple. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
  2. How to turn on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud (published 17 April 2026), Apple. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
  3. Use Advanced Data Protection for your iCloud data (iPhone User Guide), Apple. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
  4. Advanced Data Protection for iCloud (Apple Platform Security), Apple. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
  5. Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection in the United Kingdom to new users (published 23 September 2025), Apple. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
  6. Quantum-secure cryptography in Apple operating systems (published 28 January 2026), Apple. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
  7. Legal Process Guidelines: Government & Law Enforcement within the United States (October 2025), Apple. Read on 25 Oct 2026.

Changes to this answer

  • First published.

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