Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune

Hey, let’s discuss about Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune. This policy is used to turn off iCloud Photo Library on Apple devices. When it is off, users cannot save or sync their photos to iCloud. Photos that are not fully saved on the device will be deleted. It works on iPhones with iOS 9 or later and Mac computers with macOS 10.12 or later.

The main purpose of this policy is to stop photos from syncing to iCloud. It keeps personal or work photos from going to Apple’s cloud storage. This helps protect privacy and keeps company data safe. It also helps free up space on the device.

This policy is important because it protects company information. If employees use company phones, their work photos will not go to personal iCloud accounts. This prevents data leaks and keeps company files safe. It also saves internet data and storage space.

For example, a company can use this policy on all employee iPhones so work photos stay only on the device. The IT team can apply this rule using Microsoft Intune, which helps control and protect all company devices easily.

This helps the organization protect data and maintain control. It stops users from syncing photos to iCloud, which prevents company information from leaving the device. So, let’s look how to deploy this policy Configuration through Intune.

How this Policy helps Supervised Devices

This policy helps supervised devices by keeping company data and photos safe. It blocks users from syncing or uploading photos to iCloud, so no work information is shared outside the device. It also helps the organization keep full control over its managed devices. All supervised devices will follow the same security and privacy rules set by the company.

Create a Profile

First sign in to the Microsoft Intune admin center. Go to Devices and select Configuration profiles. Then click Create profile to open the profile creation window. Under Platform, choose iOS/iPadOS, and for the Profile type, select Settings catalog. After that, click Create to begin configuring your new policy.

Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune - Fig.1 — Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune – Fig.1

Basic Step

To begin configuring a policy in Intune, start with the Basics step. Here, we can add the name of the policy and give a brief description.

Name of the Policy: Allow Cloud Photo Library
Description: To Allow Cloud Photo Library
Platform: iOS/iPadOS

Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune - Fig.2 — Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune – Fig.2

Configuration Settings

In the Configuration settings tab, click the Add settings button to open the Settings picker.Type Photo Library or search the category Restrictions in the Search bar. Then Select the Allow Cloud Photo Library setting.

Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune - Fig.3 — Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune – Fig.3

Once you have selected Allow Cloud Photo Library and closed the Settings picker. You will see it on the Configuration page. Here we have only two settings True or False. By default, Cloud Photo Library will be set to True. If you want to allow these settings, click on the Next button.

Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune - Fig.4 — Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune – Fig.4

Block Cloud Photo Library Policy

If we Not allowed or don’t configure this policy, you can block the Cloud Photo Library policy by toggling the switch. Then you can click the Next button to proceed.

Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune - Fig.5 — Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune – Fig.5

Scope Tag

In Intune, Scope Tags are used to control who can view and modify a policy. The scope tag is not mandatory, so you can skip this section. It functions as a tool for organisation and access management, but assigning it is optional. Click Next if they’re not required for your setup.

Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune - Fig.6 — Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune – Fig.6

Assignment

In the Assignments tab, you choose the users or devices that will receive the policy by clicking Add Group under Include Group, select the group that you want to target (e.g HTMD Supervised Devices – iOS/iPadOs) and then click Next to continue.

Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune - Fig.7 — Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune – Fig.7

Review + Create

At the final Review + Create step, we see a summary of all configured settings for the new profile; after reviewing the details and making any necessary changes by clicking Previous. We click Create to finish, and a notification confirms that the “Allow Cloud Photo Library created successfully”.

Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune - Fig.8 — Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune – Fig.8

Monitoring Status

To view a policy’s status, go to Devices > Configuration in the Intune portal, select the policy (like Allow Cloud Photo Library), and check that the status shows Succeeded (1). Use manual sync in the Company Portal to speed up the process.

Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune - Fig.9 — Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune – Fig.9

How to Check on End User Device

When this policy is successfully applied on an end user’s device, it can be seen in Settings > Photos. The iCloud Photos option will be off or greyed out, meaning the user cannot turn it on. This shows that the policy is active and working properly. It also ensures the device follows the organization’s security and privacy rules.

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Author

Anoop C Nair has been Microsoft MVP from 2015 onwards for 10 consecutive years! He is a Workplace Solution Architect with more than 22+ years of experience in Workplace technologies. He is also a Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group Community leader. His primary focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM and Intune. He writes about technologies like Intune, SCCM, Windows, Cloud PC, Windows, Entra, Microsoft Security, Career, etc

Written by

Anoop C Nair

Anoop C Nair is Workplace Technology solution architect with 25+ years of experience in global enterprise organizations such as JP Morgan, Capgemini, etc. Microsoft Certified Trainer. Microsoft MVP from 2015 onwards for consecutive 11+ years! He also conducts Intune and modern workplace tech training for enterprise organizations. He is Blogger, Speaker, and Founder of HTMD Community and HTMD Conference. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like Intune, Windows, Cloud PC. He writes about technologies like Intune, SCCM, Windows, Cloud PC, Windows, Entra, Microsoft Security.

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Block iCloud Photo Library to Prevent iCloud Syncing using Intune

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