Apple can check your shared iCloud photos and files for harmful content with iOS 27.3

Sharing photos and documents through iCloud could soon come with an additional content check, and there is a privacy detail you should understand before creating public links. From version 27.3 of its operating systems, Apple will check items shared through the ‘Anyone with the Link’ setting for harmful content. The policy covers photos shared through iCloud Photos and files shared through iCloud Drive, rather than everything stored in your iCloud account.

A practical question about what happens if Apple flags something you have shared is also raised. The company’s updated support document sets out the actions it may take, while leaving the meaning of ‘harmful content’ undefined.

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Which iCloud shares will Apple check?

Apple lets you share an iCloud item by sending a copy or creating a link. With link sharing, you can choose ‘People you choose’, which limits access to people you invite or approve, or ‘Anyone with the Link’, which allows anyone holding the URL to open the item. Apple says the latter option will be checked for harmful content from iOS 27.3, iPadOS 27.3, macOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3.

The company has not explained what material falls under its definition of harmful content or how the checks will work. The Verge reported that the policy follows pressure on Apple to address child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in iCloud. However, CSAM should not be treated as Apple’s confirmed definition of the term.

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If content is flagged, Apple says it may move, refuse, modify, remove or delete it. It may also block or disable the associated Apple Account, prevent a new account from being created with the same email address or phone number, and involve law enforcement if necessary.

What does this mean for iCloud privacy?

There is an important limitation for those who rely on Apple’s encryption protections. Apple says items shared through ‘Anyone with the Link’ are no longer end-to-end encrypted, even if the owner or participants have enabled Advanced Data Protection. This is because the link must remain accessible to people who have it.

Apple has not said whether links created before the 27.3 updates will also be checked. The first developer betas of iOS 27.3, iPadOS 27.3, macOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 arrived Monday, November 3, with public releases expected in December.