Apple is committing extortion: 'accept these terms if you want your pictures back'. Due to their wealth, their obviously are above the law, but it'd be neat if they could somehow be held accountable. I'm not saying Luigi the CEO, but a class action suit or an organised protest may raise awareness.
The comment you are replying to did not say we should kill a CEO, it said we are adults and if we are talking about killing a CEO we should use the word kill and not some self-censored euphemism.
To be fair, people can get phones and install a FOSS OS on it, that's pretty easy, it's sad that Apple does this, but I would expect the same thing on Windows or practically any commercial provider, nothing is really surprising here.
It actually surprise me how many Linux users that do care about their security & privacy just seem to apply poor judgement when it's about their mobile devices, sure, you might not get the LATEST phone but who cares? Why are people trading their values and expertise the moment they touch the latest Samsung or iPhone? What's so special about them anyway, there is literally alternatives (or just vibe code it) for most softwares on it.
Indeed, that's why it's important to vote with your wallet. Buy a phone from a manufacturer/program like Sony's Open Devices (<https://opendevices.sony.net/>) rather than, say, Apple.
I think it's one of the last remnants of "don't be evil" at Google -- the Pixel devices are quite friendly toward alternative installs, much more so than most manufacturers.
And, now that Motorola and Graphene OS have announced a partnership, future Motorola devices may be a good option as well.
Now add in the fun of “I manage multiple Apple accounts for relatively non-technical entities who I have to poke periodically to sign the new terms”.
Just went through this yesterday. And often my main contact at a company is not the same as the person who can sign the agreement so there is yet another person I need to reach out to.
But heck, even at my company, I don’t control signing that agreement and so I have to bug someone higher up to do it. It’s such a PITA. I curse Apple every time my CI fails due to this.
The only thing I hate more is enterprise signing, literally landlines everywhere.
Wow my timing for buying a NAS and strong-arming my family to upload all of their stuff there was perfect it seems! I literally bought it a couple months ago, exactly because I was expecting to get locked out of either my account or my photos at some point
This is the dark pattern of "upload everything and delete the local copies" laid bare.
This is possible to override, of course. But it's not the default, so only the most tech-savvy users make use of the settings that keep your videos and photos local.
All in service of getting you to pay for iCloud storage when your phone starts to contain more data than they offer for free (5GB, which is laughable in 2026).
I moved my photos to self hosting so I’m in control. I’ve seen enough stories to worry about losing them with Apple. Google and Amazon are using them however they please.
Apple has a fix for that. Background uploads from apps like Immich are tied to how often you open the app. So if you’re not constantly opening the app you rely on for sync, it’ll silently fail and you won’t notice. So 3rd party apps feel unreliable when compared to Apple’s solution.
Apple, Google, and Microsoft act like ransomware gangs when it comes to photos. I hope we see the day where all 3 get split into a thousand different companies.
Edit: I just checked and my photos stopped syncing 14 days ago. Thanks for the garbage Apple!!
accept all cookies. Yesss! download the app! I would love to hear about your new feature. Yes, I'd love to ask your new AI assistant <weird-unique-name> for help!
> I never paid for Apple’s iCloud service so I am a little surprised that not only were my pictures uploaded, the local copy was deleted.
I am just saying what a normal person would do not a HN or tech user would do.
> They literally deleted his personal photo's from his phone without his consent. They didn't even ask. If he'd actually signed up for it, then sure, in that case they're offering a desired service. That's clearly not the situation though.
Except it is not 'deleted', it is on iCloud, it is your choice for this to be temporary or permanent.
Again, every Apple account has 5GB of iCloud for free, it has always been like this and even the author knows it.
The real problem is that the author accepted Apple's terms without even knowing or reading the terms like most people do. By using the iPhone he agrees to their ToS.
I know this because the terms of service shows up you setup the iPhone and when you update the iPhone OS.
But i'm sure you and him have read every line in most Terms of Service right?
You can just read the TOS if it is that big of a deal to you. They aren’t that long. Probably twenty minutes of reading.
People don’t do that because the terms basically say “you can use the service if you act normal. In the context of providing the service we may do any number of things a normal person would expect us to do.”
Reading them isn’t a good use of tim because most people using the service were going to act normal. But we collectively forced them to make the terms this long by suing companies when the terms weren’t clear and by deciding that the letter of the law matters more than what’s sensible. Accepting long terms of service is just the consequence of our collective decisions.
Apple is committing extortion: 'accept these terms if you want your pictures back'. Due to their wealth, their obviously are above the law, but it'd be neat if they could somehow be held accountable. I'm not saying Luigi the CEO, but a class action suit or an organised protest may raise awareness.
This is a website mainly targeted towards adults, you are allowed to use the word "kill" without fearing a ban or censorship.
> This is a website mainly targeted towards adults, you are allowed to use the word "kill" without fearing a ban or censorship.
So we should "Kill" a CEO because you cannot temporarily accept a ToS to backup your photos and move to another platform?
Wild.
> Apple is committing extortion
The 5GB is also free so how is this extortion?
> but a class action suit or an organised protest may raise awareness.
It won't, just don't use Apple devices.
The comment you are replying to did not say we should kill a CEO, it said we are adults and if we are talking about killing a CEO we should use the word kill and not some self-censored euphemism.
To be fair, people can get phones and install a FOSS OS on it, that's pretty easy, it's sad that Apple does this, but I would expect the same thing on Windows or practically any commercial provider, nothing is really surprising here.
It actually surprise me how many Linux users that do care about their security & privacy just seem to apply poor judgement when it's about their mobile devices, sure, you might not get the LATEST phone but who cares? Why are people trading their values and expertise the moment they touch the latest Samsung or iPhone? What's so special about them anyway, there is literally alternatives (or just vibe code it) for most softwares on it.
You can't install FOSS on most phones.
Indeed, that's why it's important to vote with your wallet. Buy a phone from a manufacturer/program like Sony's Open Devices (<https://opendevices.sony.net/>) rather than, say, Apple.
The Pixel devices are a good option as well.
I think it's one of the last remnants of "don't be evil" at Google -- the Pixel devices are quite friendly toward alternative installs, much more so than most manufacturers.
And, now that Motorola and Graphene OS have announced a partnership, future Motorola devices may be a good option as well.
Anyone dealing with notarization will also recognize the classic "Apple Is Holding My CI Pipeline Hostage Until I Accept Their New Terms of Service".
Now add in the fun of “I manage multiple Apple accounts for relatively non-technical entities who I have to poke periodically to sign the new terms”.
Just went through this yesterday. And often my main contact at a company is not the same as the person who can sign the agreement so there is yet another person I need to reach out to.
But heck, even at my company, I don’t control signing that agreement and so I have to bug someone higher up to do it. It’s such a PITA. I curse Apple every time my CI fails due to this.
The only thing I hate more is enterprise signing, literally landlines everywhere.
Wow my timing for buying a NAS and strong-arming my family to upload all of their stuff there was perfect it seems! I literally bought it a couple months ago, exactly because I was expecting to get locked out of either my account or my photos at some point
> there was perfect it seems! I literally bought it a couple months ago
I am sorry to tell you but the perfect timing was 8 - 12 months ago before the price of components shot up.
As someone with 8 empty bays in a NAS I bought a month ago, I feel this in my bones.
This is the dark pattern of "upload everything and delete the local copies" laid bare.
This is possible to override, of course. But it's not the default, so only the most tech-savvy users make use of the settings that keep your videos and photos local.
All in service of getting you to pay for iCloud storage when your phone starts to contain more data than they offer for free (5GB, which is laughable in 2026).
That 5GB basically means you get free backups of your iPhone.
For photos you need to upgrade.
My phone came with 256 gigabyte of storage.
One also has to wonder if people actually regularly go through thousands of pictures...
File a GDPR request to have a download provided to you? Seems pretty simple fwiw.
Not that I agree with the practice of rug-pulling, but "hostage" is a strong term.
I moved my photos to self hosting so I’m in control. I’ve seen enough stories to worry about losing them with Apple. Google and Amazon are using them however they please.
Apple has a fix for that. Background uploads from apps like Immich are tied to how often you open the app. So if you’re not constantly opening the app you rely on for sync, it’ll silently fail and you won’t notice. So 3rd party apps feel unreliable when compared to Apple’s solution.
Apple, Google, and Microsoft act like ransomware gangs when it comes to photos. I hope we see the day where all 3 get split into a thousand different companies.
Edit: I just checked and my photos stopped syncing 14 days ago. Thanks for the garbage Apple!!
So accept the terms?
accept all cookies. Yesss! download the app! I would love to hear about your new feature. Yes, I'd love to ask your new AI assistant <weird-unique-name> for help!
> I never paid for Apple’s iCloud service so I am a little surprised that not only were my pictures uploaded, the local copy was deleted.
no worries, apple can do what microsoft did.
Why are you being weird?
> I never paid for Apple’s iCloud service so I am a little surprised that not only were my pictures uploaded...
Yes?
Apple’s iCloud service provides 5GB for free?
> Apple’s iCloud service provides 5GB for free?
That seems a lot like: "You're going to be using our service, whether you like it or not!"
Pretty uncool?
They've also turned their "cloud service" on after I turned it off multiple times.
And I'm not even avoiding it because of data hostage fears, just because I don't understand it and thus I can't trust it.
At some point when using the device, he accepted the terms of service, so Apple turned on the 5GB of storage for free.
If you don't like this, you can backup your device and move to Android or use a camera.
So it is uncool that Apple provides a service for backing up your photos even if they are providing 5GB for free.
Got it.
Let's hope that your phone won't be part of the 70 million smartphones that get lost each year and your photos aren't backed up.
I strongly prefer not to have my personal data stored on other people’s computers.
Get a camera then?
How does a normal person get the same service as iCloud for their personal device while syncing _all_ their photos, app data to it?
What are you on about? Why is this trigging such weird hatred in you?
They literally deleted his personal photo's from his phone without his consent. They didn't even ask.
If he'd actually signed up for it, then sure, in that case they're offering a desired service. That's clearly not the situation though.
How is common sense hatred?
I am just saying what a normal person would do not a HN or tech user would do.
> They literally deleted his personal photo's from his phone without his consent. They didn't even ask. If he'd actually signed up for it, then sure, in that case they're offering a desired service. That's clearly not the situation though.
Except it is not 'deleted', it is on iCloud, it is your choice for this to be temporary or permanent.
Again, every Apple account has 5GB of iCloud for free, it has always been like this and even the author knows it.
The real problem is that the author accepted Apple's terms without even knowing or reading the terms like most people do. By using the iPhone he agrees to their ToS.
I know this because the terms of service shows up you setup the iPhone and when you update the iPhone OS.
But i'm sure you and him have read every line in most Terms of Service right?
You are weird
Does it constitute acceptance to do something because your data was held hostage?
Saying your 'data is being held hostage' is very overdramatic.
The solution is to accept the terms, and move on.
If you don't like Apple, backup your photos and move to Android.
Come on.
You can just read the TOS if it is that big of a deal to you. They aren’t that long. Probably twenty minutes of reading.
People don’t do that because the terms basically say “you can use the service if you act normal. In the context of providing the service we may do any number of things a normal person would expect us to do.”
Reading them isn’t a good use of tim because most people using the service were going to act normal. But we collectively forced them to make the terms this long by suing companies when the terms weren’t clear and by deciding that the letter of the law matters more than what’s sensible. Accepting long terms of service is just the consequence of our collective decisions.
This is actually a good use of an LLM, get it to scan the legalese for you and look for anything unusual.