Apple Will Check Public iCloud Links for Harmful Content in iOS 27.3

Apple will start checking iCloud items shared with “Anyone with the Link” for harmful content beginning in iOS 27.3, iPadOS 27.3, macOS 27.3, and visionOS 27.3, and those public shares will no longer stay end-to-end encrypted.

Details appear in a new support document published on November 3, 2026.

When you share something stored in iCloud, such as a photo in iCloud Photos or a file in iCloud Drive, you can choose Share a Link or Send a Copy. Share a Link can be limited to “People you choose,” meaning only people you invite or approve, or opened to “Anyone with the link,” which makes the item reachable by anyone who has the URL, including Apple.

Starting in version 27.3 or later, items shared with Anyone with the Link will be checked by Apple for harmful content. To make that public sharing work, Apple says the item is no longer end-to-end encrypted, even if the owner or participants have Advanced Data Protection turned on.

If you try to upload harmful content, Apple reserves the right to move, refuse, modify, remove, or delete it at any time. The company may also take action against your Apple Account, including blocking or disabling the account, blocking the ability to create a new Apple Account with the same email address or phone number, or involving law enforcement if necessary.

Not all features are available in all countries or regions, the document notes, without listing which markets get the checks first.

Will you stick to “People you choose” for sensitive files, or keep using Anyone with the Link knowing Apple can review those shares?