Apple to Launch Revamped Apple ID Website That Lets Users Download All Their Data

[Plutonius]

Wow- if this gets hacked, we're all doomed.

Knowing Tim, it will probably be hosted in China. I'm not sure why you are worried about it being hacked /s.

 

[ka-spot]

please launch yourself to the works and give me 15.4" macbook pro retina without the useless bar. thank you!

 

[technopimp]

Did Apple do some big iCloud push/reset because of this? I suddenly am getting "Enter your Apple ID password in settings" on my iPhone and a similar message on my Mac. I did not make any changes.

 

[AnnieOnTheWeb]

Google has had this for years, about time Apple caught up. Maybe this will make it easier to escape the walled garden...

Better be in a walled garden then an open hell .....
[doublepost=1522355216][/doublepost]

This sounds likely to backfire to me... Apple has set up a single spot where if hackers find a way in, they can get everything.

And I realize there were probably other spots, but I feel like they were less visible than this is.

It's required by EU law.

 

[fizzyfizz]

"coming soon" - at some point within the next 20 years

 

[QCassidy352]

I really wish we could split our apple Id and iTunes services; I don't want one account for everything.

And I wish they could be combined! I have separate accounts and it drives me crazy. You and I are equally out of luck.

 

[rhoydotp]

The system as it stands now is screwed up. A relative had a medical emergency two months ago, and his PC and phone were stolen while he was in the hospital. Although he bought a new iPhone, he found it impossible to access his previous account and icloud data because he couldn't remember his password and his trusted devices were not available. The perfect catch 22, but maybe this new feature/service will help him transfer the lost data.

The next step is an encryption key that only the user knows. If Apple truly supports privacy, then Apple will make the encryption key management transparent and effortless, without having the key stored on Apple servers.

Well, we have a problem here

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

Download... OK. That's a start.

What I really want is an interface that lets me DELETE data from iCloud.

Long ago I accidentally let my keychain sync up to Apple. There is no mechanism to affirmatively delete that data. Apple says something along the lines of when configure all your existing devices to not sync keychain, they will automatically delete the data, and yet that's not provable via their interface.

I believe that this change will actually let you DELETE Data, too.

 

[mudflap]

The system as it stands now is screwed up. A relative had a medical emergency two months ago, and his PC and phone were stolen while he was in the hospital. Although he bought a new iPhone, he found it impossible to access his previous account and icloud data because he couldn't remember his password and his trusted devices were not available. The perfect catch 22, but maybe this new feature/service will help him transfer the lost data.

No offense to your relative, but he forgot his password. That's not Apple's problem. In fact, it's a testament to Apple's security protocols.

 

[SamIchi]

Are they going to allow us to change linked emails, or de-authorize emails attached to Apple ID's? It's I went through a ridiculous ordeal when someone signed up for an Apple ID with my email, but couldn't verify, because the person entered the wrong email on registration, so my email is forever in limbo for no one to use as a Apple ID. I hope this was fixed.

 

[HiRez]

By the way when will we be able to merge Apple IDs?

Yeah, this is a big question for me, I have all my iTunes purchases on one ID and all my iCloud stuff on another. Fortunately Apple has tools in iOS and macOS these days to deal with that situation, but it would still be nice to have everything consolidated into one ID.

At work we have some machines where multiple Apple IDs were used to purchase different software on the App Store (including macOS itself), it's super inconvenient and confusing to run updates because you often have to log into multiple accounts to update each app/OS separately.

 

[k3roro]

Much needed change.

When I first went on iCloud I thought it was a phishing site because I felt it wasn't Apple-esque.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Hopefully this can lead to merging iCloud accounts as well.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

It's a good start but there should be a way to definitively delete and PROVE that your data has been "permanently" (I use quotations because permanent data deletion is complicated theoretically) from their servers.

Describe a mechanism for doing this that you would actually trust? I presume a simple statement like, "Your information has been deleted from all data centers and backups" would not be enough. What kind of validation method could be "open" enough to be trustworthy and at the same time, be sufficiently secure that it could not be abused by others?

As to the original article... This sounds like Apple is going to merge the appleid.apple.com web site, the iCloud.com website, and iTunes account data, and add a handful of new features (like account deletion). It'll make things more convenient, but anyone who thinks Apple has been forced to "open up" by EU doesn't know what Apple already provides.

IMO, the biggest problem with Apple's account management tools is that they've been spread around too much. Over the past couple of years they'd already made some nice strides towards centralizing user account settings, data, etc. This sounds like just one more step in the same positive direction.

Finally, while I fully understand why people want to be able to merge accounts, this is not going to be one of the outcomes. There are fundamental problems if an account is mistakenly, fraudulently, or maliciously merged with another. Trying to pick apart the pieces afterwards would be a hot mess. Therefore, if a process was ever created to allow merger, the proof-of-ownership process would have to be so stringent that I'd expect just a fraction of the people hoping for a merger would actually qualify.

 

[DrJR]

Apple will soon introduce an updated website for managing Apple IDs, which will allow Apple users to download a copy of all of their data stored by the company, reports Bloomberg.

Customers will be able to download data like their Contacts, photos, music preferences, Calendar information, and more. The site will essentially let users download all information stored across Apple's apps and services.

Apple also plans to allow customers to use the site to correct personal information, disable their Apple ID account, and permanently delete an Apple ID.

At the current time, there is no way for users to download their data or delete their accounts without directly contacting Apple.

Apple is making the change to comply with the European Union's new General Data Protection Regulation, which goes into effect on May 25.

Apple plans to release the new web-based privacy tools in Europe in early May, with an expansion to come to other countries at a later date.

The iOS 11.3 update, released this morning, also has privacy improvements in the form of new privacy splash screens that are displayed within each of Apple's apps when you open them for the first time to explain what data Apple collects and why.

Article Link: Apple to Launch Revamped Apple ID Website That Lets Users Download All Their Data

This is disappointing; *stomps dirt, throws hat on ground, says 'dagnabbit'!*

 

[michaelb5000]

this works without any problems. have always done it like that.

Yes that is probably true, now, but if iCloud started in 2011, the split between my apple id and my iTunes account would have been years and years before that, so going back to before iPhones and managing my kids iPods, etc. If iCloud rolled out as part of iTunes, I don't remembering making a conscious choice to choose my iTunes identity to permanently be my identity for everything Apple. The many others here posting about wanting to merge ids have the same issue; I would happily merge my accounts, if I could set a separate password for iTunes vs. iCloud/apple ID.

 

[Stella]

Only Apple can do this.

Seriously though, You think any of the others are going to be doing this anytime soon?

Edit before I get quoted again. This was more of a sarcastic reply! I don’t use Facebook or google services. Again, it was a joke son a joke!

Then don’t use the word ‘seriously’. That paragraph sounds like you think other companies won’t bother and Apple were somehow special.

 

[iop]

I haven't been saying a lot of good things about Apple lately, but this is a really good move.

 

[dampfnudel]

I haven't been saying a lot of good things about Apple lately, but this is a really good move.

Let’s just keep it real here, it’s a move that was forced upon them by the EU.

 

[plucky duck]

This was what I was thinking about the other day, nice to have data stored on the cloud but I feel like I am in somewhat of a compromised situation if I don't have a physical copy of my digital life, for when the time comes I suddenly die and nobody has access to my cloud my digital presence is pretty much POOF gone.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Apple will soon introduce an updated website for managing Apple IDs, which will allow Apple users to download a copy of all of their data stored by the company, reports Bloomberg.

Customers will be able to download data like their Contacts, photos, music preferences, Calendar information, and more. The site will essentially let users download all information stored across Apple's apps and services.

Apple also plans to allow customers to use the site to correct personal information, disable their Apple ID account, and permanently delete an Apple ID.

At the current time, there is no way for users to download their data or delete their accounts without directly contacting Apple.

Apple is making the change to comply with the European Union's new General Data Protection Regulation, which goes into effect on May 25.

Apple plans to release the new web-based privacy tools in Europe in early May, with an expansion to come to other countries at a later date.

The iOS 11.3 update, released this morning, also has privacy improvements in the form of new privacy splash screens that are displayed within each of Apple's apps when you open them for the first time to explain what data Apple collects and why.

Article Link: Apple to Launch Revamped Apple ID Website That Lets Users Download All Their Data

I've been VERY annoyed at the site for presenting a top layer pop-up that really was redundant.

This is a good change and 1 day after my BDay ... yet only for European countries. Apple, would it not make sense from a Global support perspective (support, troubleshooting), as well as administrative perspective to flip this switch for ALL regional sites globally at the same time? whatever happened to getting things done one and done?!

 

[Tech198]

I guess downloading all your Apple might re-assure users what data Apple has and users our info on file, but they are only doing this because Google did it first with Dashboard.

At least something is *finally* happening though: . "...and permanently delete an Apple ID."

About bloody time !!... Only took Apple 20 years.

 

[MLVC]

I guess downloading all your Apple might re-assure users what data Apple has and users our info on file, but they are only doing this because Google did it first with Dashboard.

At least something is *finally* happening though: . "...and permanently delete an Apple ID."

About bloody time !!... Only took Apple 20 years.

No they are only doing this because of new EU regulation. Got nothing to do with Google.

 

[jimthing]

I believe this still works, or at least it does for me. I've had it like this for the past 8 years at least. I have my iCloud stuff on one ID, and my app purchases/itunes stuff is all on a separate ID. iOS allows you to sign into a different account for itunes/app store purchases in settings -> itunes & app store.

Except most of us stuck with TWO Apple ID's actually DO want them merged under one account rather than separate! And have been for YEARS now.
...and NO, the "change you Apple ID to an iCloud email" thing from several months ago, is NOT it – arrrgh, fooking Apple!
[doublepost=1522403970][/doublepost]Is this live yet? If not, then when exactly is it going to be... anyone know?

 

[kdarling]

No they are only doing this because of new EU regulation. Got nothing to do with Google.

Apple has needed for years to be as transparent as Google about the data they have collected on us.

Yet they're only doing it now because they're being forced to.

Hopefully they'll also have a dashboard where you can selectively delete data as well, like Google.

Hacked? I care more about governments that want access to this data. How is this file being generated? At the time of the request? its it encrypted? if apple can give this data to you, whats to stop them from giving it to some government.

Apple already gives this data to governments who have a warrant or secret court order.