Apple will begin checking iCloud items shared through the "Anyone with the link" option for "harmful content" starting with iOS 27.3, iPadOS 27.3, macOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3, according to a newly published support document reported by 9to5Mac and The Verge. The company released the first iOS 27.3 developer beta this week.
The change directly affects one of the two ways users share photos and files stored in iCloud. Under the new rules, items made available to anyone who holds a link are no longer end-to-end encrypted and become accessible to Apple for inspection. Apple warned it "reserves the right to move, refuse, modify, remove, or delete" content it flags, and may block or disable an Apple Account, prevent the creation of a new account tied to the same email address or phone number, or involve law enforcement if necessary.
What Apple is scanning in iCloud public links
Apple's support document says that when a user shares an item that can be accessed by "Anyone with the Link" in version 27.3 or later, that content "is made accessible to Apple to check for harmful content." The two sharing routes remain: "People you choose," where only invited or approved people see the file, and the public link, which the document now notes is accessible to "anyone who has the link, including Apple."
Apple has not defined what "harmful content" means, The Verge noted, and the company did not offer a public list of categories that would trigger a takedown. The wording nonetheless gives Apple broad discretion over hosted material, including the right to remove it without prior notice.
- Applies to iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS from version 27.3 onward
- Only the "Anyone with the link" sharing option is affected
