iCloud Sync Failure - "Could not decrypt bytes" Error Across Apple Notes
Device Information:
- Affected Devices: iPhone, iPad, Mac
- Service: iCloud Notes
- Apple ID: Experiencing sync issues
- Software Versions: All latest iOS 18
Issue Description: I'm experiencing synchronization issues across my Apple devices with iCloud Notes. When attempting to create or modify notes, the system consistently fails with encryption-related errors.
Specific Symptoms:
- Unable to sync notes across devices
- New note creation fails
- All devices are signed into the same iCloud account
- Error persists after multiple attempts
Technical Details:
Query Endpoint Request:
URL: https://p111-ckdatabasews.icloud.com/database/1/com.apple.notes/production/private/records/query
Response (Status: 424):
{
"uuid": "ee8881e4-329a-4a29-9383-c32a384b8045",
"serverErrorCode": "INTERNAL_ERROR",
"reason": "could not decrypt bytes"
}
Lookup Endpoint Request:
URL: https://p111-ckdatabasews.icloud.com/database/1/com.apple.notes/production/private/records/lookup
Response (Status: 200):
{
"records": [{
"recordName": "DefaultFolder-CloudKit",
"reason": "could not decrypt bytes",
"serverErrorCode": "INTERNAL_ERROR"
}]
}
Modify Endpoint Request:
URL: https://p111-ckdatabasews.icloud.com/database/1/com.apple.notes/production/private/records/modify
Response:
{
"records": [{
"recordName": "TrashFolder-CloudKit",
"reason": "could not encrypt bytes",
"serverErrorCode": "INTERNAL_ERROR"
}]
}
Troubleshooting Steps Taken:
- Attempted to reproduce the issue with a minimal test case (creating a new note)
- Tested with a different Apple ID to verify the issue is specific to this account
- The error does not occur on the test Apple ID, suggesting an account-specific encryption issue
Impact:
- Unable to create or modify notes
- Sync functionality is completely broken
- Affects all devices on this Apple ID
Request: Please investigate the encryption/decryption errors preventing normal iCloud Notes synchronization across my devices. The consistent "could not decrypt bytes" error suggests a possible issue with the account's encryption keys or CloudKit configuration. The error appears across multiple CloudKit endpoints (query, lookup, and modify), indicating a systematic issue with the account's encryption system. This is for my particular Apple ID - the same email used in this support ticket.
MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 15.0