Apple announces iCloud+ with several privacy-focused features

Apple has revamped its cloud offering with great new additions under the name iCloud+. But interestingly, it is being offered at the same price as the iCloud. The upgraded cloud storage service will now come with an inbuilt VPN called Private Relay, which will route your internet traffic through two relays in order to mask the website data. The Private relay is anadvanced version of VPN as it sends data through the second hop, which restricts the user’s network provider as well as Apple from seeing your browsing data.

There is also a burner email feature included called “Hide My Email” that lets you create single-use email addresses that will forward emails to your actual account, thus restricting spammers from spamming you. iCloud+ also extends support for HomeKit Secure video, enabling HomeAppusers to stream five HomeKitXSecure videos with unlimited storage. However, unlimited video support will be available only with the top-most plan of iCloud+ service. Earlier, users needed to pay for at least 200GB of iCloud storage to record video from one camera and were required to pay for a higher tier to support more streams.

Apple is also introducing new features that will help recover your iCloud account. The new recovery feature allows you to assign friends and family if you forget your password or your device is lost. Apple will send security codes to the people you trust to recover your own account. Apple is also one of the first companies to introduce a “Digital Legacy” program that lets you choose who can access your files after you die.