Here’s How to Enable iCloud Advanced Data Protection for iPhone or iPad

The iOS 16.2 update included Advanced Data Protection in iCloud end-to-end (E2E). The feature now encrypts 23 data types in the cloud, up from 14 before. When a user selects this optional feature, data types like as images, notes, and device backups are given the E2E treatment, making it more difficult for unauthorized parties to access this information.

Disclaimer

If you lose access to your Apple ID, Apple will not be able to assist you retrieve certain data types if you have activated the feature. Consequently, you cannot carry out data sharing as well. This is due to the fact that not even Apple will have the keys to decode your saved data. As a consequence, before activating Advanced Data Protection in iCloud, customers are need to set up an alternate Account Recovery option.

How to Enable Advanced Data Protection

• Check that your iPhone or iPad is running iOS/iPadOS 16.2 or later.
• Open the Settings app.
• At the very top, click on the banner with your name.
• Select the iCloud option.
• Scroll to the bottom and choose Advanced Data Protection.
• After adding a Recovery Contact or Recovery Key via the Account Recovery option at the bottom, tap Turn On Advanced Data Protection. Similarly, you may disable the function at any time.

Wrap Up

When the Advanced Data Protection function is enabled, the number of impacted categories grows to 23. However, Apple states that this capability does not encrypt iCloud Mail, Contacts, or Calendar since they must be integrated into their own worldwide systems. This is in addition to data shared with other users via features like as iWork Collaboration and Shared Albums.

Apple does not seem to give a complete list of encrypted data types, but we may infer that, apart from the aforementioned categories, most other major kinds are impacted by the new E2E encryption.