The case for using iTunes, not iCloud, to back up your iPhone

Since iOS 8 was released in September 2014, Apple has encrypted the local storage of all iPhones. That’s not news, but it’s become newly relevant since the company and the FBI started a very loud, very public fight about the data stored on a particular iPhone.

Privacy advocates have praised Apple’s commitment to full-device encryption by default, and after a false start last year, all new Android phones shipping with version 6.0 or higher should be encrypted by default as well. It’s an effective tool for keeping thieves from grabbing your data even if they can take your phone.