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Apple Quietly Introduced iPhone Reboot Code Which is Locking Out Cops (www.404media.co)

submitted 1 month ago by Stopthatgirl7@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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Apple quietly introduced code into iOS 18.1 which reboots the device if it has not been unlocked for a period of time, reverting it to a state which improves the security of iPhones overall and is making it harder for police to break into the devices, according to multiple iPhone security experts.

On Thursday, 404 Media reported that law enforcement officials were freaking out that iPhones which had been stored for examination were mysteriously rebooting themselves. At the time the cause was unclear, with the officials only able to speculate why they were being locked out of the devices. Now a day later, the potential reason why is coming into view.

“Apple indeed added a feature called ‘inactivity reboot’ in iOS 18.1.,” Dr.-Ing. Jiska Classen, a research group leader at the Hasso Plattner Institute, tweeted after 404 Media published on Thursday along with screenshots that they presented as the relevant pieces of code.

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[–] DJDarren@thelemmy.club 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Did you switch to it from Android or iOS? Because as someone who's only used iOS since 2010, I imagine it'll be one hell of a shock.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 month ago

Android. It might be a shock, but it's great once you get used to it. I completely degoogled and went with apps that don't spy, which was the hardest part, but you could set up a separate user profile for spyware stuff like snapchat or whatever. It might be beneficial to go ahead and get one, flash it, and use it with wifi or a prepaid sim for a bit while you still have your regular phone as a backup/main if you're worried about the transition.