this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2025
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Correct, standard iCloud data is accessible with a warrant. But the UK wanted their own backdoor so they have constant access without a warrant.
But with advanced data protection, Apple can’t provide the data because they don’t have the encryption keys, regardless of a warrant.
Important to note iMessage is always E2E encrypted though, so iMessages cannot be accessed even with a warrant. Advanced data protection just expands that to all iCloud data
Using iMessage with backups does mean the backups are unencrypted and accessible by warrant (unless you use advanced data protection)
Ah yes, that's true as well
Okay interesting, thank you for the info.
Who even uses iMessage these days? Pretty sure I turned it off completely because it was messing with the 5 SMS I send in a year ...
Out of my 10 most recent client contacts, only one has used SMS. The rest are all iMessage.
Sure, that’s anecdotal. But I’m in the UK and this is my experience.
iMessage is far more common in the US afaik. Whereas most people elsewhere will use WhatsApp or whatever, nobody in my extended family uses anything but iMessage to communicate
Ah, yeah right, the US is still stuck in the 00s with that (and payment methods).
But iMessage doesn't work on Android and by default the message will just fail if they have an Android phone and you use iMessage.
Really? Mine defaults to SMS if they don’t receive it as an iMessage message. I can’t recall it ever failing, only a long while back I would get a failure that prompts me to send as SMS - and I’d do it. It’s automatic now.
Not sure how long iMessage has existed, but it never properly worked for me on any iPhone, and neither for my partner. I also helped others change the settings to just default to SMS. By default it doesn't show that you need to send a SMS, and it definitely doesn't retry it, at least not in NL.
That is interesting. In Europe it just switches to text message automatically when sending to people with android.
In The Netherlands it doesn't and last time I checked we are still part of Europe lol
iMessage will use SMS for 2 person conversations with Android, MMS for groups (and if your carrier disabled MMS it doesn't work IIRC)
Yes it should, but by default it doesn't, at least not in NL