What Happens to My Photos When I Restore From Backup?
A restore brings back your photos, and by default Apple can read the backup it restores from. Cryptile vaults restore too, as ciphertext, and only your 9-word recovery phrase opens them.
What do I need to know?
- Standard iCloud protection keeps Apple's keys. Photos and iCloud Backup are not end-to-end encrypted by default.
- Advanced Data Protection changes that. It is optional and adds iCloud Backup and Photos to the end-to-end list.
- A Cryptile vault restores only with its phrase. Apple holds ciphertext and no keys.
Can Apple read my iCloud backup when I restore?
By default, yes. Apple says 15 data categories are end-to-end encrypted, including Health and passwords in iCloud Keychain. Photos and iCloud Backup are not among them.
Apple keeps the keys and can decrypt your data when you restore from a backup. Apple names that case itself. See Apple's iCloud data security overview.
What does Advanced Data Protection change?
Apple says the number of end-to-end encrypted categories rises to 25. The list then includes your iCloud Backup, Photos and Notes.
It is available from iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2 and macOS 13.1. You choose to turn it on. Apple's page above explains the trade-offs.
What happens to a Cryptile vault in a restore?
Cryptile has an encrypted iCloud backup. What reaches iCloud is ciphertext plus recovery salts, with no keys. Apple, a breach or a subpoena yields no readable photos from it.
On a new phone, restoring needs the 9-word recovery phrase. It carries 96 bits of strength. Without it, the backup cannot be opened, even by us.
What should I check before I restore?
- Find your recovery phrase. Write it on paper and keep it away from the phone.
- Confirm the backup is recent. Back up the old phone first if you can.
- Decide on Advanced Data Protection. Read Apple's trade-offs before you turn it on.
What this doesn't protect against
A restore does not make weak settings stronger. Photos kept in the normal library stay as readable as your iCloud settings allow. A Cryptile pattern is weaker than a passphrase, so use 8 or more cells. There is no reset. If you lose the device and the phrase, the vault is gone.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile has no account and no server, and the developer never holds your keys. That is why the phrase is the only way back in.
Cryptile is free for up to 3 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos in total. Plus removes the limits. It costs $19.99 a year (7-day free trial), $39.99 once, or $1.99 a week.
Cryptile Send, Files-app access, shared vaults and sync are coming and are not available yet.