Users who have enabled Advanced Data Protection will have a more complicated than usual device setup process, especially for new HomePod and Apple Watch owners.
End-to-end encryption across iCloud backups Photos iMessages and more is a distinct benefit of Advanced Data Protection. Increased levels of privacy and security will prompt tech-savvy users to enable the feature as soon as possible, but it does come with some inconveniences.
Products must be running the latest operating system update to sign in to an Apple ID with advanced data protection, Apple said. Otherwise, these products may mishandle new service keys generated by this feature.
Apple’s support document specifies the following issues.
Devices where the user is signed in with their Apple ID must be updated to iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, macOS 13.1, tvOS 16.2, watchOS 9.2, and the latest version of iCloud for Windows. This requirement prevents a previous version of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS from mishandling the newly-created service keys by re-uploading them to the available-after-authentication HSMs in a misguided attempt to repair the account state.
Apple’s support document
This means any new iPhone iPad Mac Apple TV Apple Watch or HomePod must be up to date before being added to an Apple ID. This isn’t an immediate problem for products that can be updated without an Apple ID, but it introduces some complications to setup.
Set up iPhone iPad Mac and Apple TV without attaching an Apple ID. So a user with Advanced Data Protection enabled could turn on a new product, choose an option like Sign in to Apple ID later, and update the device in Settings.
Products that cannot be interacted with unless attached to an Apple ID create a different problem. Both the Apple Watch and HomePod require an account before they can be provisioned and updated, so users must handle setup differently.
Another option is to set up the product on an Apple ID that does not have Advanced Data Protection enabled. Maybe that means setting up a dummy account for this purpose or using a spouse’s account to set up a product. However, this can be as complicated as the HomePod Can only be set by Apple Home Organizer, so keep that in mind.
We recommend turning off Advanced Data Protection for the brief time required to set up a new product. However, turning that feature off and then adding new products introduces another hiccup.
To prevent malicious actors from enabling advanced data protection after compromising user accounts from new devices, Apple has applied restrictions to the feature. New products won’t be able to turn on Advanced Data Protection for a month or so after they’re added. However this does not prevent Other devices open it.
For example, a user with a new iPad would turn off the Advanced Data Protection setting New iPad Update New iPad on their iPhone, and then turn on Advanced Data Protection from their iPhone. If they try to enable the feature from the iPad, they will be blocked with a warning.
This complexity of setting up a new product is only a blip. Eventually, all new purchases will have updates installed beyond iOS 16.2 macOS Ventura 13.1 and more, which will enable a new device setting that enables advanced data protection.
You can read more about mobiles in this category.
