Feature or bug? iPhones confiscated by cops reboot en masse

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Credit: Ryan Haines / Android Authority

• iOS 18 is reportedly causing confiscated iPhones to reboot after a day of inactivity or disconnection from the cellular network.
• After restarting, these iPhones seemingly send signals to other nearby iPhones to trigger the same behavior.
• It’s unclear whether this is a new iOS 18 security feature or merely the reboot bug that impacted certain iPhones a while back.

Apple is famous for taking its users’ privacy and security seriously, especially when compared to some of its rivals. The company has long offered system-level features that prevent thieves and law enforcement officers from easily accessing user data on a locked iDevice. According to a fresh report, iOS 18 appears to be causing confiscated iPhones to reboot under specific conditions, which can complicate police investigations.

How iPhones become more secure after a reboot

Before delving into the report, it’s worth highlighting how data encryption on iOS works. BFU (Before First Unlock) and AFU (After First Unlock) are two states that can dictate how challenging data extraction from an iPhone will be. When a user restarts their iPhone, iOS temporarily turns off biometric authentication and keeps the data completely encrypted, making it exceptionally challenging to extract sensitive files.




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