Apple announced on Wednesday that it could no longer unlock encrypted iPhones and iPads for police. With the release of iOS 8, the operating system no longer allows Apple to unlock devices even with a government-issued search warrant.
The change in privacy policy was revealed on the same day Apple rolled out its iOS 8, which includes features to track health information, mobile payments and offers online services for kids. Users will have to trust that their information is safe in the wake of the iCloud celebrity nude photo scandal.
With iOS 8, Apple says that iPhones now encrypt any content stories such as call logs and emails.
Apple outlines its updated policy in a new privacy site that offers customers advice on how to manage their privacy and explains how the company will deal with information requests from the government.
According to the new policy, even when police show up with a search warrant in hand, only the customer's password can unlock the Apple devices.
"On devices running iOS 8, your personal data such as photos, messages (including attachments), email, contacts, call history, iTunes content, notes, and reminders is placed under the protection of your passcode," the company says. "Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data. So it's not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8."
Apple CEO Time Cook published a detailed letter on the company's website about the privacy changes that aim to ease privacy concerns of the company's customers. "At Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn't come at the expense of your privacy," Cook writes.
However, the new policy does not apply to the iCloud. Users will have to adjust the settings so that the police cannot access emails, photos, or videos that they wouldn't want to be held accountable for in a court of law. Apple can still unlock older iPhones or iPads that do not run with iOS 8.
In the letter, Cook also says Apple will provide privacy updates to customers at least once a year and when major changes are made to the company's policies.
On the website, Apple also takes a dig at Google. The letter states:
"Our business model is very straightforward: We sell great products. We don't build a profile based on your email content or web browsing habits to sell to advertisers," Cook writes. "And we don't read your email or your messages to get information to market to you. Our software and services are designed to make our devices better."
Though they didn't explicitly mention Google, it's pretty safe to assume that's who the company was referring to. Though it should be noted that Google had many security measures set up long before Apple's recent privacy updates.
