{"id":164112,"date":"2021-01-27T09:40:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T06:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/apples-imessage-is-secure-unless-you-have-icloud-enabled\/"},"modified":"2021-01-27T09:40:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T06:40:00","slug":"apples-imessage-is-secure-unless-you-have-icloud-enabled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/apples-imessage-is-secure-unless-you-have-icloud-enabled\/","title":{"rendered":"#Apple\u2019s iMessage Is Secure \u2026 Unless You Have iCloud Enabled"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25b4186fb2c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25b4186fb2c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/apples-imessage-is-secure-unless-you-have-icloud-enabled\/#iMessage_Uses_End-to-End_Encryption_to_Send_and_Receive_Messages\" >iMessage Uses End-to-End Encryption to Send and Receive Messages<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/apples-imessage-is-secure-unless-you-have-icloud-enabled\/#iCloud_Backups_Are_Enabled_by_Default_and_Arent_E2E_Encrypted\" >iCloud Backups Are Enabled by Default and Aren\u2019t E2E Encrypted<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/apples-imessage-is-secure-unless-you-have-icloud-enabled\/#Why_Arent_iCloud_Backups_End-to-End_Encrypted\" >Why Aren\u2019t iCloud Backups End-to-End Encrypted?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/apples-imessage-is-secure-unless-you-have-icloud-enabled\/#How_to_Ensure_That_Apple_Cant_See_Your_iMessages\" >How to Ensure That Apple Can\u2019t See Your iMessages<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/apples-imessage-is-secure-unless-you-have-icloud-enabled\/#Doesnt_Your_iPhone_Back_up_Signal_Data_to_iCloud_Too\" >Doesn\u2019t Your iPhone Back up Signal Data to iCloud, Too?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/apples-imessage-is-secure-unless-you-have-icloud-enabled\/#How_to_Make_Encrypted_iPhone_Backups\" >How to Make Encrypted iPhone Backups<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">App<\/a>le\u2019s iMessage Is Secure \u2026 Unless You Have iCloud Enabled&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<!-- UNCACHED CONTENT --><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_710571\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-710571 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/iphone-imessage.jpg\" alt=\"iMessages in the Messages app on an iPhone.\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/alushta-russia-september-26-2018-woman-1191438220\" data-credittext=\"DenPhotos\/Shutterstock.com\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/alushta-russia-september-26-2018-woman-1191438220\">DenPhotos\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Apple\u2019s iMessage service uses secure end-to-end encryption. This ensures only you and the person you\u2019re talking to can see your messages. But there\u2019s a big privacy hole in iMessage, and it\u2019s named iCloud. Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"iMessage_Uses_End-to-End_Encryption_to_Send_and_Receive_Messages\"><\/span>iMessage Uses End-to-End Encryption to Send and Receive Messages<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Apple\u2019s iMessage for iPhone, iPad, and Mac always uses end-to-end encryption. Only the sender and receiver of the messages can see their contents.<\/p>\n<p>Photos, videos, and other file attachments are also encrypted. What\u2019s more, Apple\u2019s FaceTime service also uses end-to-end encryption for voice and video calls, too.<\/p>\n<p>This means that Apple and its employees cannot see the contents of the iMessages you\u2019re sending and receiving\u2014even if they wanted to.<\/p>\n<p>So far, so good. But there\u2019s a big \u201cgotcha\u201d here.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"iCloud_Backups_Are_Enabled_by_Default_and_Arent_E2E_Encrypted\"><\/span>iCloud Backups Are Enabled by Default and Aren\u2019t E2E Encrypted<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you have iCloud Backups enabled on your iPhone or iPad\u2014and most people do\u2014then there\u2019s a big hole in the normally secure, end-to-end encryption.<\/p>\n<p>With either iCloud Backup or Messages in iCloud enabled, your iCloud messages are encrypted, then backed up to iCloud and stored on Apple\u2019s servers. However, Apple receives a copy of the key that is used to encrypt that backup.<\/p>\n<p>In other words: Apple and its employees could technically access the contents of your iMessage backups on Apple\u2019s servers. The backups aren\u2019t end-to-end encrypted. If Apple\u2019s servers were compromised or someone else gained access to your iCloud account, they could see the contents of your messages. This also means that Apple could turn over the contents of your iMessage history if compelled to by a government.<\/p>\n<p>Apple makes all this clear in its <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT209110\">iMessage and FaceTime Privacy policy<\/a>. (As that policy says, Apple never stores the contents of FaceTime audio or video calls. Only messages and attachments in iMessage are stored.)<\/p>\n<p>Of course, even iMessage is much better than traditional text messages. SMS messages aren\u2019t even private or secure when you\u2019re sending and receiving them! Your cellular carrier can see their contents.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Why SMS Text Messages Aren&#8217;t Private or Secure<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Arent_iCloud_Backups_End-to-End_Encrypted\"><\/span>Why Aren\u2019t iCloud Backups End-to-End Encrypted?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are several reasons why Apple doesn\u2019t use end-to-end encryption for backups.<\/p>\n<p>First, this provides more protection for average people who lose their passwords. If you lose your Apple ID password and go through Apple\u2019s password recovery process, you can regain access to all your data, including your iMessage backups. With end-to-end encryption, Apple could give you access to your account\u2014but if you lost your password, you would never be able to access those backups again.<\/p>\n<p>In this way, end-to-end encrypted backups are less user-friendly. Imagine explaining to a bunch of Apple customers that, actually, they can never access their data again because they forgot their passwords. To implement an account recovery process that doesn\u2019t lose data, Apple must have the key that unlocks those backups.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s fair to ask, however, why Apple doesn\u2019t at least offer end-to-end encryption as an option for backups. Perhaps there could be an advanced option that encrypts them behind a big warning message.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-apple-fbi-icloud-exclusive\/exclusive-apple-dropped-plan-for-encrypting-backups-after-fbi-complained-sources-idUSKBN1ZK1CT\">a report in Reuters<\/a> from January 2020, Apple was planning to offer end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups. However, the company dropped plans to let its users fully encrypt backups after the FBI complained that this would make it more difficult for law enforcement to get iPhone users\u2019 data.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Ensure_That_Apple_Cant_See_Your_iMessages\"><\/span>How to Ensure That Apple Can\u2019t See Your iMessages<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re concerned about this, and you don\u2019t want your iMessages sitting on Apple\u2019s servers without the end-to-end encryption they normally have in transit, you can stop this from occurring by disabling the iCloud for your Messages app.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"admonishment_warning\"><p><strong>Warning:<\/strong> This is a tradeoff. In the future, you won\u2019t be able to restore your Messages from iCloud if you disable iCloud backup for iMessage.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings &gt; [Your Name] &gt; iCloud. Disable the \u201cMessages\u201d option here to stop storing your iMessage history in iCloud.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignnone wp-image-710569 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/disable-icloud-messages-on-iphone.png\" alt=\"Disable the &quot;Messages&quot; switch.\" width=\"650\" height=\"290\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You can also do this on a Mac. On a Mac, open the Messages app. Click Messages &gt; Preferences, click \u201ciMessage,\u201d and uncheck the \u201cEnable Messages in iCloud\u201d checkbox.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignnone wp-image-710568 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/turn-off-messages-in-icloud-on-a-mac.png\" alt=\"Uncheck &quot;Enable Messages in iCloud.&quot;\" width=\"650\" height=\"212\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Of course, people you talk to on iMessage likely have iCloud Backups enabled for iMessage on their own account, even if you don\u2019t. This means that your messages may be stored on Apple\u2019s servers\u2014in the other person\u2019s iCloud backup, of course. To prevent this from happening, consider switching to a secure messaging app that doesn\u2019t back up to iCloud\u2014like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/signal.org\/\">Signal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Doesnt_Your_iPhone_Back_up_Signal_Data_to_iCloud_Too\"><\/span>Doesn\u2019t Your iPhone Back up Signal Data to iCloud, Too?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Of course, iMessages aren\u2019t the only thing that your iPhone backs up to iCloud. It backs up the local data many other apps are storing, too\u2014if you have iCloud Backup enabled.<\/p>\n<p>Some other secure, end-to-end encrypted messaging apps get around this concern by just not backing up your messages to iCloud.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the secure messaging app Signal does not back up your message history to iCloud, as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/support.signal.org\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360007059752-Backup-and-Restore-Messages\">Signal\u2019s support site<\/a> explains. It is always stored locally on your device. You can transfer messages from one iPhone to a new iPhone, but it\u2019s a process that moves messages to a new iPhone and deletes them from your old one.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve wiped or lost, or just don\u2019t have your old iPhone, you can\u2019t move your messages to a new device. That\u2019s the idea\u2014Signal is designed with privacy and security in mind. It may be less convenient to keep your message history forever, but that protects your privacy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What Is Signal, and Why Is Everyone Using It?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Make_Encrypted_iPhone_Backups\"><\/span>How to Make Encrypted iPhone Backups<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>By the way, you can make encrypted backups of your iPhone. You just can\u2019t do it with iCloud. If you have a Windows PC or Mac, you can connect your iPhone (or iPad) to your computer with a USB cable and back up to a local file via iTunes (on Windows) or Finder (on Mac).<\/p>\n<p>Check the \u201cEncrypt Local Backups\u201d option to secure your local backup with a password.<\/p>\n<p>If you lose your iPhone or have to erase it, you can restore this encrypted backup on a new iPhone. This will move your iMessage history to your new device without it being stored on Apple\u2019s servers.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignnone wp-image-710570 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/mac-encrypt-iphone-backup.png\" alt=\"Uncheck &quot;Encrypt local backup.&quot;\" width=\"650\" height=\"355\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Back Up Your iPhone With iTunes (and When You Should)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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This ensures only you and the person you\u2019re talking to can see your messages. But there\u2019s a big privacy hole in iMessage, and it\u2019s named iCloud. Here\u2019s what you need to know. iMessage Uses End-to-End Encryption to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":164113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/iphone-imessage.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-164112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=164112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}