GrayKey maker claims to prevent iPhone inactivity boot. It's easier to crack an iPhone after it's been unlocked once by the user after a reboot. A law enforcement tool vendor may have found a way to keep the device in that state.
Magnet Forensics claims its tools preserve iPhone data that Apple's security features would otherwise make harder to access. The tools could give police more time to extract sensitive information from seized devices. In iOS 18.1, Apple introduced a new privacy feature, a sort of inactivity reboot. This reboot restarts an iPhone after 72 hours without an unlock, returning it to a Before First Unlock (BFU) state.
Now, a law enforcement educational video seen by 404 Media details a device called Gray Key Preserve. Magnet also offers Evidence Preservation Mode for its existing GrayKey hardware. In the video, dated early 2025, Magnet says Gray Key Preserve keeps the device in the more accessible After First Unlock (AFU) state, even if an iPhone reboots. Evidence Preservation Mode also reportedly prevents cached locations, recently deleted photos, and iMessages from expiring.
After initial access, Gray Key Preserve disables cellular, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connections. iPhone security researcher Jiska Classen believes it could be clock manipulation or disabling iPhone tasks that set data to expire.
Source: AppleInsider · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing