Cops Can Bypass iPhone’s Automatic Reboot to Get Into Locked Phones, Leaked Video Claims

Law enforcement can now more easily access locked iPhones, even after the phone has rebooted.

Magnet Forensics, the developer of the GrayKey phone-unlocking tool, claims to have found a method to bypass Apple's inactivity reboot feature on iPhones. This feature, introduced in November 2024, automatically reboots iPhones that have been inactive for 72 hours, reverting them to a state that hinders law enforcement access to data. Magnet's new offerings, GrayKey Preserve and an "Evidence Preservation Mode" for existing GrayKey devices, are designed to maintain iPhones in an "After First Unlock" (AFU) state, even after a reboot. This AFU state allows for easier access to sensitive data, whereas a "Before First Unlock" (BFU) state encrypts data and makes it significantly harder to extract. The technique reportedly involves disabling radio transmissions like Wi-Fi and cellular to preserve data and isolate the device in the field, potentially by manipulating the device's clock to prevent data expiration.

This development signals a renewed arms race between Apple and digital forensics companies, with law enforcement agencies acting as the primary beneficiaries. The ability to bypass the inactivity reboot feature effectively negates a significant privacy safeguard Apple implemented, potentially impacting the data accessible in a wide range of investigations. It suggests that for the foreseeable future, law enforcement will continue to find ways to access data on locked iPhones, challenging the security assumptions users have made.

For consumers, this means that the protections offered by features like the inactivity reboot may be less robust than anticipated, and the data on their iPhones could be more accessible to authorities than they believe. The technology highlights the ongoing tension between digital privacy and lawful access, with companies like Magnet Forensics consistently developing tools to bridge that gap, and Apple likely to respond with further security enhancements.