Advanced Data Protection (ADP) is Apple’s opt-in setting introduced December 2022 that switches most iCloud categories from Apple-held keys to end-to-end encryption. Apple cannot then decrypt iMessage history, Photos, Notes, Reminders, Voice Memos, Safari Bookmarks, Wallet Passes, or iCloud Backup. The single highest-leverage privacy setting available to iPhone users in 2026.
What it means in practice
The encryption story before and after ADP is structurally different. Standard iCloud (default): around 14 categories use Apple-held keys; Apple can decrypt and produce on warrant. The exceptions (always end-to-end encrypted) are Keychain, Health, and a few others. With ADP enabled: most categories become end-to-end encrypted, Apple loses the ability to decrypt, the user takes on recovery responsibility (a recovery contact and/or recovery key, lose both and the data is gone). The 2025 UK Technical Capability Notice forced Apple to remove ADP availability for UK users; the underlying global policy fight remains open. For users in jurisdictions where ADP is still available, enabling it changes what Apple can produce under legal process from “almost everything” to “almost nothing beyond account metadata.”
Who it affects, and how
Available to: every iCloud user not in the UK (as of the 2025 removal) on iOS 16.2+ or macOS 13.1+. Removed from: UK iCloud accounts as of the 2025 TCN compliance. The removal was announced with the framing that the TCN forced architectural changes Apple was unwilling to make globally; the UK-only removal preserves the technology for the rest of the world while complying with UK demand. For journalists, lawyers, and high-target users outside the UK, ADP is a free configuration change that meaningfully shifts the legal-process posture of their cloud-stored data. For UK users, the workaround is to switch to a non-Apple cloud (Proton Drive for files, Tutanota for email-equivalent functionality) for the categories most exposed.
What you can change today
Enable ADP now if you have not. Settings, [your name at the top of Settings], iCloud, Advanced Data Protection, Turn On. The flow requires you to set up a recovery contact (a trusted person who can help you regain access if you lose your devices) and/or a recovery key (a 28-character string you write down and store offline). Both is best. After enabling, walk through every device signed into the Apple ID and confirm each is on a recent enough OS to support ADP (iOS 16.2+, macOS 13.1+). For UK users where ADP is no longer available: migrate the most sensitive iCloud categories (Photos, Notes, Backup) to alternative end-to-end encrypted providers (Proton Drive, Tresorit) and retain iCloud only for categories that do not contain sensitive content.