Earlier reports raised concerns among police and forensic investigators about iPhones rebooting mysteriously, making it difficult to access data. Security researchers later revealed that iOS 18 introduced a new "reboot at idle" feature, which has now been confirmed.
Here’s What We Know
Experts confirm that iOS 18 includes a security feature that reboots the iPhone after 72 hours of inactivity. This "idle reboot" enhances security by locking the user's encryption keys in the device's secure block chip. In the video below, user @naehrdine on X demonstrates how an iPhone running iOS 18.2 beta restarts after three days of inactivity.
Magnet Forensics, a leader in digital forensics, confirmed that the timer for this feature is set to 72 hours. In the "Before First Unlock" (BFU) state, user data is fully encrypted and inaccessible without a password. In the "After First Unlock" (AFU) state, some data remains unencrypted and can be accessed using specific forensic tools.
Despite criticism from law enforcement agencies, Apple has continued to implement new security features. In 2016, the FBI even sued Apple, demanding it create a backdoor to unlock the iPhone of a mass shooter. Apple refused to comply, and later, Australian startup Azimuth Security assisted the FBI in cracking the phone.
