I’ve said before that I didn’t think there could be a class action suit about the obscene way that Apple ropes you into the use of iCloud for backups, and I was seriously thinking about writing a snarky letter to Tim Cook in which I would point out just how many times I’d entered my iPhone passcode on my phone at the most inopportune times to start a backup to my Mac in the last week, for absolutely no reason whatsoever, and just how much of my time this was wasting, and how frustrating it was, and how I’d really like it to stop, thank you. Then this happened, in the UK of all places.
It’s opt-out, but there’s a mailing list you might want to subscribe to. And I can honestly say this gives me hope.
Isn’t the phone passcode required for a local backup different from an iCloud passcode?
In my Mac-iPhone setup, I do wired, encrypted backups. In addition, I don’t use the same passcode to unlock my phone as I do to access iCloud. Whenever I connect my phone to my Mac to sync or to backup, it is the “unlock phone” passcode that is requested by macOS.
Yes, it’s always the iPhone unlock passcode to perform the backup (encrypted or not). I’m just saying that the prompt doesn’t appear at all when iCloud backups are turned on (Apple is sabotaging local backups just as effectively as it sabotages third-party storage providers, potentially including local network backups if they are ever opened up).
Can Google Photos and Google Docs be hosted on other Cloud Storage platforms? I don’t know the answer but suspect not, and if not will Which be bringing an action?
My first reaction is against this case. Users have a choice not to use Apple if they don’t like it.
I find the case to be factually incorrect as well, you can backup your phone with something like iMazing and your photos can be backed up with OneDrive / Amazon photos should you wish.
Not friction free granted, but it’s easy enough.
£3 a month for 200gb doesn’t seem outrageous to me either.
You’d have to ask them to be sure, but I think you’re right that Google’s web apps can’t host data elsewhere.
But there are alternatives to both Google Docs and Google Photos, so I think it unlikely that Which? would be interested in pursuing such a case. On the other hand, I’d say it’s at least arguable that Google’s web frontends should be able to work with other services, and in general that the rise of SAAS has ossified the software industry to competition.
What choice does a user have besides iCloud for backup? This case hinges on there being no other choice. Obviously, this includes the choice of not using the iPhone you bought.
These are not equivalent. Which? are clear that iCloud Backup is the exclusive cloud choice for backing up settings, for instance. Entering your passcode means that local backups aren’t functionally equivalent either, assuming this is what you want. The photo syncing services are an option, true, but they’re technically limited compared to iCloud Photos integration (apps have limited background time, etc).
I think this case will be interesting. I will not be surprised to find Apple arguing many of the same points, and relying essentially on technical omission.
The Which case is about much more than cloud backup (which can be backed up locally as pointed out): The Which link mentions:
A key tactic to achieve this has been encouraging users to sign up to iCloud for storage of photos, videos and other data while simultaneously making it difficult to use alternative providers,
Until recently I kept all my photos and docs in Lightroom Cloudy and Dropbox. I could have used Google Photos and Dropbox for photos as well.
I don’t see a problem with that, since Apple gives you 5GB of iCloud storage for free. That’s far more than necessary for Settings and other details and can even include some personal data (like for Notes or Calendar).
If you want to use iCloud for photos and other data, you’ll have to pay a reasonable fee for it (way cheaper than Dropbox and other services if you only need a little storage), but you can use third party cloud storage instead if you want.
This lawsuit sounds to me like picking on the big gorilla simply because Apple has money and that’s who lawyers target, regardless of the reasoning.
(On a related note, the name “Which?” for an organization is ridiculous. I had to read an article about this several times because it was so confusing having a nonsensical “Which?” in middle of the headline and throughout the paragraphs. If I was an editor I’d write it in quotes like I’ve done here to make it clear it’s not part of the text.)
It started life as something akin to Wirecutter - e.g. Which… washing machine / iron etc. so it’s quite a good name but then they expanded their remit into other areas.
Backing up to local got hobbled when they introduced this ridiculous manual password entry requirement that doesn’t exist for iCloud. AFAIC, every lawyer coming after them for that jerk move is well justified. I like accountability.
It looks like Which? is a nonprofit of sorts, being part of the Consumers Association charity. I have no sense of whether the organization is the sort that would do this as a PR stunt or if they truly believe Apple has done something egregious here.
We covered this issue a while back, and unless something has changed, let’s not repeat the conversation.
I think this reflects a widely held but fundamental mis-understanding of Apple’s business. Apple is in the business of selling great user experiences that offer more in “use value” than they charge in “cash value”. Transparent backup of iPhones to the cloud off loads a huge system management burden from users and is a fundamental part of the product experience. This feature allows almost transparent upgrade to a newer phone or replacement if your device is lost, damaged, or stolen. Simply put smartphones could not have achieved as wide consumer acceptance without it. Apple includes 5 GB of storage for free which is enough to backup your essential settings. For $2/mo most iPhone customers can backup their entire phone (50 GB). If you have a lot photos or other content, you are free to use other services and many users do. Alternatively you can backup your smartphone to your Mac or PC (if you even own one). The idea that automatic transparent backup of iPhones to iCloud is somehow unfair to consumers or other cloud service providers is laughable.