Apple Will Check Public iCloud Share Links for Harmful Content Starting With iOS 27.3

Apple will start checking iCloud content shared through public links for "harmful content" with version 27.3 of iOS , iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS, according to a new Apple support page published on Tuesday. The checks apply only to items shared with the "Anyone with the Link" option, not to content shared directly with specific people.

The 27.3 releases went out to developers in beta on Tuesday, and a general release is expected in December. Apple has not said whether the checks are already active in the beta builds.

The policy reaches iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro users at the same version number, so anyone who creates public iCloud links on those devices is covered once the 27.3 updates are installed.

Apple's New Rules for Anyone With the Link Sharing in iCloud

"Items shared using Anyone with the Link will be checked by Apple for harmful content," the support page states. Apple does not define harmful content on the page. The company also has not explained how the checks work, or whether human moderators, automated systems, or both will identify and remove content.

Apple says it can access items shared this way. The public sharing option removes end-to-end encryption from the shared item, even when Advanced Data Protection, Apple's optional end-to-end encryption feature for supported iCloud data, remains enabled on the account.

When harmful content is found, Apple reserves the right to move, refuse, modify, remove, or delete it at any time, according to the support page. The company says it may also block or disable accounts associated with that content and reserves the right to involve law enforcement when necessary. Apple does not list which content types fall under the policy.

How iCloud Users Can Review Their Public Links

The checks are tied to the sharing method, not to iCloud storage as a whole. iCloud users who rely on public links can review their sharing habits before the 27.3 updates reach their devices:

Go through iCloud items that are currently shared with Anyone with the Link and decide whether each link still needs to be public.

sensitive items directly with specific people instead of creating a public link, since the checks cover only links that anyone can open.

Keep in mind that Advanced Data Protection does not protect items shared with Anyone with the Link, because that option removes end-to-end encryption from the shared item.

The support page ties the checks to Anyone with the Link sharing only. Apple has not said whether items that were shared publicly before iOS 27.3 will also be checked once the update is installed, and the company has not given an exact release date beyond the expected December rollout.