iPhone reboots are not a bug, but a new security and privacy function

Apple discreetly incorporated a new function to iOS 18.1 that resets the device if it has not been unlocked in a while. According to many iPhone security experts, this reset improves iPhone security and makes it more difficult for authorities to retrieve saved data.

On Thursday, law enforcement officers were perplexed when iPhones in storage suddenly rebooted on their own. Initially, the cause was unknown, leaving officials speculating as to why they were kept out. However, according to 404 Media, specialists have begun to piece together the cause.

"Inactivity reboot" is a function that Apple included in iOS 18.1, according to Dr.-Ing. Jiska Classen of the Hasso Plattner Institute.

"We discovered code in iOS 18 and above that triggers an inactivity timer," revealed Christopher Vance of Magnet Forensics in a closed group chat for law enforcement and forensic specialists. The device reboots and switches from an AFU to a BFU state when this timer expires. "After First Unlock," or AFU, indicates that the phone has been unlocked once after it was turned on, which facilitates access for law enforcement. "Before First Unlock," or BFU, makes it far more difficult for forensic tools to break into the device.

According to one law enforcement specialist, the reboot timer is not based on network or charging status, but rather on the idleness interval.

This update to iOS is the latest in a long-running battle between phone manufacturers like Apple, who want to protect user data, and law enforcement, who want access to data on confiscated devices. Initially, authorities suspected the reboots were caused by confiscated iPhones not being connected to a cellular network or, curiously, iOS 18 devices causing other nearby iPhones to reboot. However, experts now believe the timer-based reboot is the root reason.

Experts like as Dr.-Ing. Jiska Classen consider this as an excellent move by Apple. Sure, most individuals will never have their phones forensically analysed, but many will experience theft—and this safeguards their data in both cases.

Law enforcement is not pleased. Magnet Forensics' Vance recommended his group chat to gather data from AFU iOS 18 devices as soon as possible, saying, "It's crucial to get data from your AFU devices with iOS 18 as soon as you can."