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Law enforcement officials are left scratching their heads over a baffling phenomenon: iPhones in crime labs are mysteriously restarting.

These devices, crucial to ongoing investigations, have been stored and safely disconnected from cellular networks as of October 3, 2024, but continue to reboot without explanation.

Affected units include those in Airplane mode and even one secured inside a Faraday cage, which is designed to block all external signals.

While some suggest that battery problems or a charging loop error could be the culprits, authorities suspect a more intriguing cause.

iOS 18.0 security feature hypothesis

The recent release of iOS 18.0 introduced a number of new security features, and experts speculate that one of them could be triggering the unexpected reboots.

A leaked law enforcement documentapparently obtained by 404 Averagesuggests that iOS 18 may have introduced a mechanism that requires iPhones disconnected from cellular networks to periodically reboot.

This restart process forces iPhones into a “before first unlock” (BFU) state, which is more secure and restricts access to data compared to the “after first unlock” (AFU) state.

The BFU state is particularly difficult for forensic teams because devices in this state cannot be accessed without the owner’s password, Touch ID, or Face ID.

Potential theories and implications

Battery or starter loop problems: Initial theories pointed to common technical issues such as battery failures or boot loop errors, but these seem unlikely given the controlled storage conditions.

Enabling security features: If a new security protocol in iOS 18.0 is indeed causing these reboots, it raises questions about managing devices in forensic environments and the balance between security and accessibility.

Impact on investigations: Unscheduled reboots could alter or delete crucial data, complicating forensic analysis and impacting ongoing investigations.

While authorities investigate the mystery, Apple fans (and haters, of course) are waiting. Could this be a deliberate feature to improve device security or an unintended bug with serious repercussions? /

What do you think about the mysterious iPhone reboot phenomenon in forensics? Do you think this is a deliberate security feature or an unintentional bug? Share your knowledge and let us know below.

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Ronil is a computer engineer by education and a consumer technology writer by choice. Throughout his professional career, his work has appeared in renowned publications such as MakeUseOf, TechJunkie, GreenBot and more. When he’s not working, you’ll find him at the gym breaking a new PR.