---
title: "Apple will check iCloud ‘Anyone with the link’ items for harmful content from iOS 27.3"
description: "Apple's support page says iCloud items shared via 'Anyone with the link' will be checked for harmful content from version 27.3."
url: https://mactoreality.com/apple-confirms-icloud-public-link-scanning-from-ios-27-3
published: 2026-11-04T17:31:24Z
updated: 2026-11-04T17:31:24Z
author: "Mac to Reality Newsdesk"
category: News
tags: ["Privacy & security","Software"]
publisher: Mac to Reality
ai_assisted: true
apple_heat_impact: 0
---

# Apple will check iCloud ‘Anyone with the link’ items for harmful content from iOS 27.3

*Apple's support page says iCloud items shared via 'Anyone with the link' will be checked for harmful content from version 27.3.*

**Key points**

- From version 27.3 of iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS, Apple will check items shared with 'Anyone with the link' for harmful content.
- Such items are not end-to-end encrypted, even with Advanced Data Protection.
- Apple may remove content and block or disable the Apple Account, or involve law enforcement if necessary.

Apple says that from version 27.3 of iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS, items shared through iCloud using “Anyone with the link” will be checked by Apple for harmful content. The company set out the change in a support document published on 3 November 2026.

When you share an iCloud item such as a photo in iCloud Photos or a file in iCloud Drive, you can choose Share a Link or Send a Copy. A shared link can go to “People you choose”, meaning only people you invite or approve, or to “Anyone with the link”, which Apple says makes it accessible to anyone who has the link, including Apple itself. The new checks apply to the second option.

Image: Mac to Reality / Apple

### What Apple says

- Applies from version 27.3 of iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS.
- Covers items shared using “Anyone with the link”.
- Such items are no longer end-to-end encrypted, even if Advanced Data Protection is on.
- Apple reserves the right to move, refuse, modify, remove or delete harmful content at any time.
- Apple may block or disable the Apple Account, or involve law enforcement if necessary.
- Not all features are available in all countries or regions.

Apple explains that sharing in this way means the item is no longer end-to-end encrypted, “even if the owner or participants have turned on Advanced Data Protection”. Apple says this is to facilitate the sharing.

If someone tries to upload harmful content, Apple says it may act on the content and on the account. That includes blocking or disabling the Apple Account and blocking the creation of a new account with the associated email address or phone number.

## What it means in practice

The support page does not describe how the checks work, or say which kinds of content count as harmful. The document is clear on one point: the checks are tied to public links, not to everything stored in iCloud.

If you rely on link sharing, the practical difference is that a public link has never been private from Apple, and from 27.3 it will also be checked. Sharing with named people remains a separate option.

## Sources

- [Apple Support: Learn more about sharing content that can be accessed by Anyone with the Link](https://support.apple.com/en-us/149168)

*This report was written by the Mac to Reality newsdesk with AI assistance from the sources listed above, under the editorial policy at https://mactoreality.com/editorial-policy.*