Your iMessages have been end-to-end encrypted for years; the backup of them in iCloud has not, which is why a court order to Apple could produce your chats. On 7 December 2022 Apple announced Advanced Data Protection, an optional setting that extends end-to-end encryption to almost everything in iCloud, so that the key exists only on your devices and Apple itself cannot read the data, even under legal compulsion.
What it covers
With the setting on, the number of iCloud data categories protected end-to-end rises from 14 to 23. The additions are the ones that matter: iCloud Backup (including the backup of Messages), Photos, Notes, Reminders, Safari bookmarks, Voice Memos, Wallet passes and files in iCloud Drive. Three categories stay as they are, encrypted in transit and on Apple's servers but readable by Apple: Mail, Contacts and Calendar, because they must work with other companies' e-mail and calendar systems.
The trade-off
If Apple cannot decrypt your data, Apple cannot recover it for you either. Turning the feature on requires setting up a recovery method first: a 28-character recovery key you print and keep somewhere safe, or a recovery contact, a trusted person with an Apple device who can help you regain access. Lose your devices, your password and your recovery key together, and the photos are gone. For most people the recovery contact, a spouse or sibling, is the sensible choice.
When and where
It launched for US beta users with iOS 16.2 and reached all US users by the end of December; the rest of the world, Bangladesh included, follows in early 2023. There is no regional restriction on the encryption itself. Apple announced two companion features at the same time: iMessage Contact Key Verification, which lets people at high risk confirm they are messaging the person they think, and support for physical security keys as the second factor for an Apple ID.
Why it matters here
Bangladesh's Digital Security Act and the routine practice of examining phones at police stations make the question of who can read a backup a practical one for journalists, lawyers and activists, not a theoretical one. Until now, an iPhone with a strong passcode was well protected while the iCloud copy of it was not. Advanced Data Protection closes that gap; it also means law enforcement's requests to Apple, which the company reports it received from Bangladesh in the hundreds each year, will return less. The FBI said it was "deeply concerned". Privacy groups said it was overdue.
How to turn it on (from early 2023)
- Update every device on your Apple ID to iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2 or macOS 13.1 or later; older devices must be signed out.
- Settings, your name, iCloud, Advanced Data Protection.
- Set up a recovery key or recovery contact when prompted, then enable.
