Engadget reports that law-enforcement training materials show Magnet Forensics tools can extract data from iPhones even after Apple's inactivity reboot feature activates. Apple introduced that security measure in 2026 to lock down phones left unopened for 72 hours or more. It was meant to be a significant barrier to forensic access. The training video suggests police may now have a workaround.
This exposes the gap between Apple's privacy marketing and the reality of device forensics. If police can bypass protections that users believe are protecting their data, the meaning of "locked" shifts for activists, journalists, suspects, and anyone storing sensitive messages and photos. Apple's privacy promise is only as strong as its weakest technical gap.
Apple will face pressure to patch any method that weakens post-reboot protection. Courts and defense lawyers will demand clarity on how broadly these tools work, which iPhone models are vulnerable, and under what legal conditions investigators can actually deploy them.
Apple sells privacy as a product feature. But this story is a reminder that privacy is an arms race. Every new shield creates a market for a new bypass. The people left guessing are ordinary users who hear "your iPhone is secure" when the truer version is "secure until someone figures out the next trick."
Filed to the Technology desk · 5 days ago