Most customers hardly ever shut down or restart their iPhones. Nonetheless, a newly found, unannounced safety function in iOS 18 permits iPhones to restart routinely after a interval of inactivity. This function seems to be aimed toward deterring unauthorized entry, notably from unhealthy actors like thieves.
Final week, studies emerged that U.S. regulation enforcement companies had issued alerts about an sudden matter: iPhones being held for forensic examination have been rebooting on their very own. A subsequent investigation by 404Media linked this habits to the brand new “inactivity reboot” function launched in iOS 18.
iPhones Now Auto-Reboot After 72 Hours of Inactivity
Safety researcher Jiska Classen has since supplied additional insights into this function. In line with printed findings of Classen, an iPhone working iOS 18.1 will routinely reboot if it stays in a locked state and isn’t unlocked for 72 hours.
This marks a change from the preliminary model of the function in iOS 18, the place the inactivity timer was set to seven days. Apple has not talked about this performance in its iOS 18 launch notes, suggesting that it has been quietly launched and refined in iOS 18.1.
Why Does Apple Drive Reboot Inactive iPhones?
The first objective of this function is to make it considerably more durable for unauthorized entities to interrupt into an iPhone and entry its information.
When an iPhone reboots, it enters a “earlier than first unlock” state. On this state, encryption keys are locked, and biometric authentication (resembling Face ID or Contact ID) is required to regain entry. This extra layer of safety makes it harder for typical forensic instruments to bypass the machine’s protections in comparison with an ordinary locked display screen.
Nonetheless, Classen factors out that whereas the iPhone can nonetheless be unlocked on this state, doing so requires superior instruments, in depth experience, and appreciable effort—making unauthorized entry far more difficult.
The inactivity reboot aligns with Apple’s broader push to boost iPhone safety. Earlier this yr, the corporate launched Stolen System Safety, a function designed to make it even more durable for thieves to entry stolen iPhones, notably these with compromised passcodes.
What are your ideas on Apple’s new inactivity reboot function and its ongoing efforts to bolster machine safety? Please tell us your opinions within the feedback beneath!
