How to enable end-to-end encryption for your iCloud backups

Feb 07, 2025 07:51 PM - 3 months ago 112962

Allison Johnson is a reviewer pinch 10 years of acquisition penning astir user tech. She has a typical liking successful mobile photography and telecom. Previously, she worked astatine DPReview.

Apple has precocious information features that you tin alteration to protect much of your data. Among different things, it includes highly unafraid end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups nether the sanction Advanced Data Protection. This intends that fundamentally only you tin entree the information stored successful your iCloud instrumentality backup — Apple doesn’t person the cardinal to entree it. This is simply a beardown furniture of security, and though it takes a small spot of activity to group up and requires you to return much work for recovering your data, it’s good worthy the effort if you’d for illustration to make judge that you’re the only 1 who tin access your backed up information.

Here’s really to group up end-to-end encryption for your iCloud backups connected your iPhone. You’ll request to beryllium moving iOS 16.2, which was released successful December 2022, aliases later versions.

There are 2 main things you’ll request to do successful bid to alteration Advanced Data Protection: update each of your Apple devices to the latest type of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS (or region them from your relationship if they can’t support type 16.2) and group up relationship recovery. Any HomePods aliases Apple TVs utilizing your iCloud relationship besides request to beryllium updated to astatine slightest type 16.2.

So first, spell done each your devices and do a small housekeeping. Once you’ve done that, you request to group up relationship recovery.

As a first step, you’ll request to group up Account Recovery since Apple will nary longer beryllium capable to thief retrieve your data.

Go to Settings > iCloud > Advanced Data Protection.
You tin pat Account Recovery to group it up aliases conscionable proceed to Advanced Data Protection; it will locomotion you done betterment setup arsenic portion of the process.

You tin besides group up a betterment interaction and / aliases a betterment cardinal successful the process.

If you opt for a recovery contact, you’ll spot a database of suggested contacts. You tin pat the bluish positive icon to hunt your full contacts list, but beryllium judge to prime personification who has an Apple instrumentality and who you’ll beryllium capable to interaction easy if you’re ever locked retired of your account.
As a adjacent step, you’ll beryllium prompted to nonstop a connection to your interaction asking them to o.k. your request. You tin nonstop the connection pinch boilerplate matter aliases edit it to your taste. You’ll get a push notification erstwhile they accept.
To usage a recovery key, pat that action and beryllium fresh to constitute down aliases different prevention the 28-character cardinal it generates truthful that you tin find it if you suffer entree to your account. You’ll verify the betterment cardinal to finalize setup.

Screenshot of iCloud settings options

Scroll down a spot nether iCloud settings to find the action for Advanced Data Protection.

Screenshot pinch matter indicating that the personification needs to group up relationship betterment because Apple will nary longer person access.

You’ll beryllium prompted to alteration information betterment arsenic portion of the setup process.

Turn connected Advanced Data Protection

With Account Recovery enabled, you tin commencement mounting up Advanced Data Protection.

Go to Settings > iCloud > Advanced Data Protection.
At this point, you’ll request to make judge each the devices tied to your Apple ID are up to day (you’ve already done that, right?), aliases you’ll person to region them successful settings. Then conscionable travel the directions to decorativeness up.

With that done, you’re connected your measurement to a early of overmuch much unafraid iCloud backups.