We recently wrote that iPhone models running iOS 18 that were seized by US police restart automatically after a certain period of time. This makes it difficult for law enforcement to use these devices to hack and unlock phones to find evidence of crimes. It was speculated that this was a security improvement or a simple bug that some iOS 18 users had already encountered. But today we learned that it is not a bug…..
Here’s what we know
Apple quietly introduced code in iOS 18.1 that reboots locked devices after four days of inactivity, improving the overall security of iPhones and making devices more difficult for police or intruders to access. Rebooting takes the iPhone from the “After First Unlock” (AFU) state to the “Before First Unlock” (BFU) state, making it more tamper-proof.
The problem was complicated by the fact that iPhones seized by police with iOS 18.1 firmware somehow transmitted a signal to other confiscated iPhones with older iOS versions, which which also caused them to restart and make them more difficult to access.
Experts have confirmed that iPhones running iOS 18.1 or newer (not iOS 18 as previously speculated) now contain a new security code that Apple has yet to disclose .
This measure aims to improve user security by preventing them from accessing their data if their phone is stolen. However, it also raises concerns for police because it makes it more difficult to collect evidence for criminal cases.
Source : 404 Media
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