Apple Will Scan iCloud Public-Link Content Starting in iOS 27.3

Apple will begin scanning files shared via its "Anyone with the Link" iCloud option, according to an updated support document spotted by 9to5Mac. The change arrives with iOS 27.3, iPadOS 27.3, macOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3.

"Items shared using Anyone with the Link will be checked by Apple for harmful content," the document states. Apple reserves the right to "move, refuse, modify, remove, or delete the content."

Repeated violations escalate to the account itself. The company says it may act against a user's Apple Account "including blocking or disabling your Apple Account, blocking the ability to create a new Apple Account with the associated email address or phone number, or if necessary, involving law enforcement."

The "Anyone with the Link" option was already reachable by anyone who held the URL, Apple included. What changes is that Apple now intends to actively check that content rather than leave it alone. Users who want tighter control can still share with a named list through the "People you choose" option.

Apple does not identify which classifiers or AI models perform the check, or define what counts as "harmful content" in the document itself.