GoKawiilUK Apple users split into two tiers after Advanced Data Protection withdrawal
Apple pulled its opt-in Advanced Data Protection feature for new UK iCloud users in February 2025, leaving anyone who enabled it beforehand with full end-to-end encryption on most iCloud data while everyone else in the UK cannot activate it. The piece traces this back to Apple's decade-long fight against government backdoor demands, including its 2016 standoff with the FBI over the San Bernardino iPhone.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The split suggests UK government pressure over encrypted data access has created a real, lasting gap in privacy protection between otherwise identical customers of the same product. It raises questions, not addressed by Apple, about whether regulators elsewhere could push for similar carve-outs, and about how companies balance government demands against consistent user protections.
- UK users who enabled Advanced Data Protection before February 2025 keep it; new users cannot turn it on.
- Apple has a long history of resisting government requests to weaken device encryption, dating to its 2016 dispute with the FBI.
- The current UK situation creates unequal privacy protection among users of identical Apple devices and services.
Apple iPhone with iCloud+ — If you're following the debate over Advanced Data Protection and iCloud encryption, it helps to actually have an Apple device to explore these settings yourself. The iPhone remains the flagship way to experience Apple's privacy ecosystem, including iCloud+ features tied directly to this story.
See Apple iPhone with iCloud+ on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: macanorak.com, 2026-09-24
Published there as: “Two-Tier Encryption in the UK – Identical Apple Devices, Different Protection”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.