Apple starts encrypting iCloud email, down for some users

Summary: As Apple works on its promise to improve the iCloud email service's security, an outage has affected some users. 
 

 
Apple is ramping up efforts to fulfill the promise to protect iCloud customers and encrypt email services.
 
While Apple is yet to announce any changes to the iCloud platform, which boasted over 300 million users last year, emails are now encrypted, whether inbound or outbound. In other words, @me.com and @mac.com email addresses are now protected.
 
The changes have been revealed through Google's transparency website. The website's function is to disclose the percentage of inbound and outbound emails that funnel through Gmail and other providers. As shown below, the iPad and iPhone maker's changes are in place:
 

 
Extra encryption can't be a bad thing for users, especially as the tech giant has endured recent criticism as one of the last email providers not to provide a good level of encryption between services. The criticism led to Apple promising to improve the situation. However, German publication Heise claims that Apple is using RC4 encryption, which is far from the most secure option available.
 
In related news, a small percentage of iCloud users are currently experiencing an outage. The service became unavailable at roughly 12.00 am ET Monday, and impacts 0.1 percent of users.
 

 ~ Charlie Osborne