"There is an apparently new iOS 18 security feature that reboots iPhones that haven’t been unlocked in a few days, frustrating police by making it harder to break into suspects’ iPhones
…
Apple added “inactivity reboot” code in iOS 18.1 that triggers iPhones to restart after they’ve been locked for four days"
I hope this gets added to Android.
Android is already disabling fingerprint reader every 72 hours. So what’s the difference?
The encryption key of the device storage is kept in memory while in AFU state for practical reasons, you don’t want to wait for the encryption key to be generated everytime you unlock the device, then wait for apps to restart and sync their data.
A reboot will discard that key from memory and return the phone back in BFU state, making it much more difficult to extract data from a device.
https://blogs.dsu.edu/digforce/2023/08/23/bfu-and-afu-lock-states/
Some do. Enable “auto restart” if your phone has it.
I believe this option just came to my Pixel 7 a few weeks back.
Wait I thought we were supposed to hate on iphones here.
Yeah, I debated whether to post it or not. = )
iPhones suck. This is still an objective improvement to them and currently an advantage over Android. Hatred and blind hatred aren’t the same.
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Last week it was theorized that iOS 18 would reboot after 24 hours if it lost connection from the internet. That would be even better, since it would fuck people trying to work around FindMy.
How do you mean trying to work around FindMy? Like phone thieves?
Thieves, authorities, crazy ex, anyone.
FindMy will allow you to remotely secure or wipe the device. But the device needs to be online to get that request to lock or wipe from iCloud.
I don’t get it… Why is rebooting a locked phone more secure?
Every time the phone reboots, it disables biometric unlocking until the correct pin is entered.
Most hacking tools that police have access to take advantage of the weaker security found in the biometric unlock mode.
By randomly restarting, the phone’s storage stays fully encrypted until the correct pin or passcode is entered, which is far more secure as it takes either a brute force attack to guess the correct pin, or a court order compelling the person to provide the pin or passcode.
Fun fact, in the United States, a pin or passcode is considered private property, and the police can’t legally force you to provide it without a warrant. However, your face or fingerprints are not considered private property, and they can and have used biometrics to unlock phones without user consent or a warrant before.
If you ever get stopped by the cops, make sure to reboot your phone so they have a harder time finding incriminating evidence.
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A court order doesnt magically give them the unlock code, the court can hold a person in contempt for refusing to give it in some instances but not indefinitely.
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Well 4 years was the longest i could find, but usually they are more like 1-30 day sentences and the 4 year one is an outlier.
Chelsea Manning was held for 62 days for refusing to reveal a source, so not a password but similar reason for the charge https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48223178
The spirit of the law seems to be that if its established the only reason to hold someone is a refusal to give information and its clear they will never comply, that alone is not justification for indefinitely detaining someone, but judges can interpret things how they want.
You don’t have to reboot it. You just have to click the main side button several times (10?). Which you can do by feel.
This disables biometrics, but doesn’t delete the decryption key in memory. This is sufficient to prevent being compelled to unlock with biometrics, but with the decryption key in memory, it is still possible to access data via an exploit. A full reboot deletes the decryption key until the user enters their pin.
You just have to click the main side button several times (10?).
5 times locks it.
