Is iCloud Photos encrypted?
Yes, with a catch: by default Apple holds the keys. What standard protection and Advanced Data Protection each mean for your photos.
iCloud Photos is always encrypted in transit and on the server. Under standard data protection, Apple holds the keys and can decrypt your data, for example to help you recover it. Turn on Advanced Data Protection and Photos becomes end-to-end encrypted, so only your trusted devices hold the keys.
People ask this in different ways, and the answer depends on who you have in mind.
Three layers to keep apart
On your phone. With a passcode set, iPhone data is encrypted with 256-bit AES. This matters when the phone is locked. Unlocked, the photos display for whoever holds it.
In iCloud, standard protection. Photos are encrypted in transit and at rest. Apple keeps the keys in its data centers, which is how it helps you recover data when you forget your password.
In iCloud, Advanced Data Protection. Keys stay on your trusted devices. Apple writes that no one else can access this data, not even Apple. A breach of the cloud would not expose the photo contents.
How to turn on Advanced Data Protection
On iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, scroll down and tap Advanced Data Protection. Follow the steps to set up a recovery method. Every device on your account needs recent software. Our full guide covers the requirements.
What stays outside it
Apple lists some Photos metadata that stays under standard protection: checksums, whether an item is a favorite, hidden or deleted, when it was created and imported, and how often it was viewed. So a photo’s contents can be end-to-end encrypted while facts about it are not.
Shared Albums and “anyone with the link” sharing also fall outside it.
None of this stops a person with your passcode
Encryption in the cloud does not help when someone is holding your unlocked phone or is signed in to your account on their own device. For that, you need a second lock. See the guide to locking photos. Backroom adds that lock and does not use iCloud sync, though files in its vaults are included, encrypted, in any device backup you make.
Frequently asked questions
Are hidden photos encrypted separately?
Apple lists one row for Photos, with no separate treatment for Hidden. Apple notes that whether an item is marked hidden is among the metadata that stays under standard protection, even with Advanced Data Protection on.
Are Shared Albums end-to-end encrypted?
No. Apple says Shared Albums do not support Advanced Data Protection, even when you turn it on. iCloud Shared Photo Library does, as long as all participants have it on.
What is the catch with Advanced Data Protection?
Apple cannot recover your data for you. You must set up a recovery contact or key, and iCloud.com access is off by default.
Are photos on the iPhone itself encrypted?
Apple says setting a passcode turns on data protection, which encrypts iPhone data with 256-bit AES. That protects a locked phone. Once it is unlocked, anyone holding it can open Photos.