Apple has introduced a new security feature in iOS 18.1. This comes after former President Trump’s complaints about the difficulty of unlocking the iPhones of people who attacked him, and could or could not be related to his call.
The feature, dubbed “inactivity reboot,” automatically restarts iPhones that have been locked and unused for approximately four days. Upon reboot, the device enters a highly secure “Before First Unlock” (BFU) state, limiting the data that can be extracted without the user’s passcode or biometric authentication.
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Chris Wade, founder of mobile analysis company Corellium, identified the new “inactivity reboot” code in iOS 18.1.
This is worrying law enforcement, as it complicates forensic checks on seized devices. Police have reported unexpected reboots of stored iPhones, compromising ongoing investigations. The BFU state makes it considerably more challenging to extract data using existing forensic tools.
For iPhone users, this feature adds extra security automatically, keeping your data safer if your device gets lost or stolen for a while. The best part is that no extra steps are needed.
Apple has not yet responded to requests for comment on this new feature.
This latest security enhancement underscores the ongoing tension between personal data protection and law enforcement needs in the digital age.
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I question this. I remember discussions about a function like this some years ago, way before iOS18.