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Apple has removed the option for UK users to enable Advanced Data Protection (ADP), its strongest iCloud data-protection setting. Apple says new UK users cannot turn it on, while existing users who enabled it will be given a transition period and guidance to disable it if they want to keep using iCloud. The change affects 10 iCloud data categories—not every Apple service or every form of end-to-end encryption.

What changed for Apple users in the UK?

In a support notice published September 22, 2025, Apple said new users in the UK can no longer enable ADP. For the iCloud categories that ADP previously covered, UK users will instead have Standard Data Protection, with no option to switch those categories to ADP.

Apple said existing UK users who had already enabled ADP would receive guidance and a period in which to disable it themselves if they wanted to continue using their iCloud account. Apple said it could not disable ADP automatically for them.

The 10 iCloud categories affected

  • iCloud Backup
  • iCloud Drive
  • Photos
  • Notes
  • Reminders
  • Safari Bookmarks
  • Siri Shortcuts
  • Voice Memos
  • Wallet Passes
  • Freeform

What remains end-to-end encrypted?

Apple’s change does not end end-to-end encryption across all of iCloud or Apple services. Apple says 15 iCloud data categories remain end-to-end encrypted by default, including iCloud Keychain and Health data. iMessage and FaceTime also remain end-to-end encrypted globally, including in the UK. Apple says ADP remains available outside the UK.

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The distinction is between ADP, which extends end-to-end encryption to the 10 listed iCloud categories when enabled, and the protections Apple says continue to apply by default to other categories and services. The figures—10 affected categories and 15 that remain end-to-end encrypted by default—are Apple’s counts of service categories, not counts of people affected or independent measurements of security risk.

Why did Apple remove Advanced Data Protection in the UK?

News reports said UK security officials had served Apple with a technical capability notice under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, seeking access to data protected by ADP. Apple did not publicly detail the notice’s terms in the support announcement. The Home Office has not confirmed that a notice exists or confirmed its reported scope.

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In parliamentary answers on March 4 and March 14, 2025, the Home Office said it does not comment on operational matters, “including for example confirming or denying the existence of any notices.” That means the reported demand should be treated as a reported allegation, not as a government-acknowledged order.

Apple said it was “deeply disappointed” that UK customers would lose the option to enable ADP. The company also stated: “As we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will.” Those are Apple’s statements about its position and rationale; they are not an independent finding about the reported notice.

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What has the UK government said about the law and safeguards?

In a March 31, 2025 House of Lords exchange, the government again declined to confirm or deny individual notices. Lord Hanson of Flint, speaking as a government minister, said the Investigatory Powers Act “contains robust safeguards.” The Home Office’s stated position is that the law includes safeguards and independent oversight, and that data is obtained only exceptionally and when necessary and proportionate.

Those statements describe the government’s position on the law and its use. They do not establish the terms of the reported notice or provide an independent assessment of its necessity or proportionality.

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Did Apple challenge the reported order, and what happened?

The Associated Press reported that the Investigatory Powers Tribunal disclosed Apple’s challenge to a government order after rejecting the Home Office’s request to keep the case private. The tribunal permitted the “bare details” of the case to become public. The AP account says the Home Office continued not to confirm individual notices; it does not report a final ruling on the merits of Apple’s challenge.

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Did the UK drop its demand for Apple encryption access?

A later Associated Press report said U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced that the UK had agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a backdoor. The AP report records no direct UK confirmation: the Home Office did not directly respond to Gabbard’s claim and maintained that it does not comment on operational matters.

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That account supports describing a U.S. official’s public assertion, not a UK-confirmed withdrawal. It also does not establish that Apple’s tribunal case was resolved or provide a final legal decision.

What the dispute means for users

For UK users, the practical change Apple announced is the loss of the ADP option for 10 iCloud categories, with existing ADP users needing to follow Apple’s guidance if they want to keep their iCloud account. Apple’s notice does not say that every iCloud category or Apple communication has lost end-to-end encryption.

The episode illustrates the policy choice at issue: Apple says it withdrew ADP availability in the UK rather than build a backdoor or master key. The reported government demand, however, remains unconfirmed in the cited public Home Office statements, and the available tribunal account does not establish the challenge’s final outcome.

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