GoKawiilMagnet Forensics' GrayKey Preserve keeps seized iPhones from locking into BFU state
Magnet Forensics has released GrayKey Preserve, a device, and an Evidence Preservation Mode for its existing GrayKey system, which keep a seized iPhone in its After First Unlock (AFU) state even if the phone reboots or loses power. This counters Apple's inactivity reboot feature, which restarts an iPhone after 72 hours without a passcode entry and shifts it into the more secure Before First Unlock (BFU) state where more data is encrypted. The functions were described by a Magnet employee in an instructional video obtained by 404 Media.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The tools suggest forensic companies are racing to counter Apple's security updates rather than just breaking passcodes, aiming to freeze a device's accessible state before stronger protections kick in. This could give police more time to extract data from phones they seize but cannot immediately examine, though it also sharpens the ongoing technical contest between device makers and forensic vendors over data access.
- Magnet Forensics' GrayKey Preserve and Evidence Preservation Mode stop iPhones from losing AFU status after reboot.
- The tools directly counter Apple's inactivity reboot feature, which shifts phones into the more secure BFU state after 72 hours.
- The capability could extend law enforcement's window to access data from seized iPhones that aren't immediately examined.
Source: techspot.com — Skye Jacobs, 2026-10-02
Published there as: “New GrayKey feature lets police stop seized iPhones from becoming harder to access after a reboot”
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