iOS 27.3 Will Check the Contents of Public iCloud Links

Apple is adding a new safety check to iCloud. With iOS 27.3, Apple will check the contents of public iCloud links to combat child sexual abuse material, blocking access to links that contain illegal content.

The change arrived in the first developer beta of iOS 27.3 on November 3, and it is expected to reach all users with the final release in December. It applies to links shared publicly through iCloud — for example, a public link to photos in iCloud — rather than to private iCloud content.

How the check works

When someone shares a public iCloud link, Apple will check the content behind that link. If the content is found to contain child sexual abuse material, access to the link is blocked. The check is aimed at preventing iCloud's public sharing features from being used to distribute illegal material.

Apple has not yet explained in detail how the checking is carried out, and the feature is still in beta, so its final form may change before release. What is clear from the beta is the scope: it covers public links, not the private photos and files stored in a user's own iCloud account.

A sensitive history

The move returns Apple to a subject it has handled carefully before. In 2021, Apple announced plans for on-device scanning of photos to detect child sexual abuse material, then shelved the plan in 2022 after criticism from privacy advocates and security researchers. The new approach is narrower: it targets content that a user has chosen to share publicly, rather than scanning a device's private library.

That distinction is likely to matter in the debate that follows. Public links are, by definition, shared with anyone who has the address, and Apple already hosts the content behind them. Whether that makes the check acceptable to critics of the earlier plan remains to be seen.

Sources

• MacRumors — iOS 27.3 Will Check the Contents of Public iCloud Links
• Macworld — iOS 27.3 beta is out now with a new Health app, Siri AI expansion, and more
• 9to5Mac — Apple releases first iOS 27.3 public beta with redesigned Health app and more