Experts confirmed: new iOS 18 feature provides total encryption of iPhone data after 72 hours of inactivity

Earlier, it was reported that police and forensic investigators were concerned that some iPhones were rebooting under mysterious circumstances, making it difficult for them to access the devices to retrieve data. Later, security researchers reported that iOS 18 had a new "reboot at idle" feature that caused devices to reboot. This has now been confirmed.

Here's What We Know

Experts have confirmed that the new security feature in iOS 18 reboots the iPhone if it is not unlocked for 72 hours. "Idle reboot" puts the iPhone into a more secure state by locking the user's encryption keys in the device's secure block chip. In the video below, user @naehrdine on his X page demonstrated how an iPhone running the iOS 18.2 beta restarts after 3 days of inactivity.

Magnet Forensics, a company known for its digital forensics products, confirmed that the timer for the feature is 72 hours. In the "Before First Unlock" (BFU) state, user data is fully encrypted and virtually inaccessible without a password. In the "After First Unlock" (AFU) state, some data remains unencrypted and can be retrieved using certain forensic tools.

Apple has continued to add new security features despite criticism from law enforcement agencies claiming it makes their jobs harder. In 2016, the FBI even sued Apple, demanding it create a backdoor to unlock the mass shooter's iPhone. Apple didn't make concessions and after that, Australian startup Azimuth Security helped the FBI crack the phone.

Source: @naehrdine, Tech Crunch