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Magnet Forensics, maker of the GrayKey phone-forensics tool, says it has developed GrayKey Preserve and an Evidence Preservation Mode to keep iPhones accessible before Apple’s 72-hour inactivity reboot. The capability is described in a video obtained by 404 Media; the available report does not independently establish how it works, which devices it supports or how widely it is available.
Magnet Forensics, the company behind the GrayKey phone-forensics system, says it has developed a device and software feature intended to stop seized iPhones from reaching Apple’s 72-hour inactivity reboot. The capabilities, named GrayKey Preserve and Evidence Preservation Mode, are shown in a video obtained by 404 Media, but the report does not independently verify how they work or which phones they support.
The reported tools address a delay law enforcement agencies can face after taking custody of a phone. Investigators may be waiting for court authorization, or may have other devices ahead of it in a forensic backlog. If an iPhone remains locked and inactive for 72 hours, Apple’s reboot feature can change the device’s security state, making it harder for forensic tools to access data, according to the 404 Media report.
Magnet’s proposed response has two parts: a standalone device called GrayKey Preserve and a feature for existing GrayKey systems called Evidence Preservation Mode. The company’s claims appear in a video obtained by 404 Media. The source material does not provide technical documentation, independent testing, deployment details or a statement from Apple about the reported capability.
GrayKey is a tool sold to law enforcement agencies to unlock phones and access stored data on iPhones and Android devices, according to 404 Media. The new capability is presented as preserving a phone in a state that is more useful for subsequent forensic access; it should not be read as confirmation that the system can unlock every iPhone or retrieve all data from a device.
A New Challenge to iPhone Reboot Protection
The reported development matters because it may affect the time investigators have to access a phone after seizure. Apple’s inactivity reboot was designed to return an iPhone to a security state that is harder to penetrate after it has remained locked for a set period. A tool that can prevent that change, if effective on supported devices, could reduce the pressure created by the 72-hour window for agencies handling delayed warrants or forensic queues.
That possibility also places the capability within a wider contest between phone makers seeking to protect locked-device data and companies that provide access tools to law enforcement. The consequences depend on the technical limits and the circumstances of use, which have not been established in the source material. Access to stored phone data can expose sensitive personal information, so the difference between a company’s capability claim and independently verified performance is important for both privacy and investigative practice.
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Apple’s 72-Hour Inactivity Reboot
In November 2024, 404 Media reported that Apple had quietly introduced an iOS feature that automatically reboots an iPhone after it has not been unlocked for 72 hours. The reboot moves the phone into a state that makes forensic access more difficult, according to that report. It is a device-security measure, not a guarantee that a phone can never be accessed.
At the time, law enforcement agents expressed concern about the change because seized phones may not be examined immediately. Investigators can be waiting for legal permission or dealing with a backlog. Magnet Forensics’ reported GrayKey Preserve device and Evidence Preservation Mode are described as an answer to that timing problem. The available account does not say when Apple introduced any subsequent changes or whether the reported tools have been tested against later iOS versions.
“The company claims to have developed a solution that freezes iPhones in a state that lets investigators more easily access data.”
— Magnet Forensics, as presented in a video obtained by 404 Media
GrayKey device for law enforcement
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Technical Limits Still Unreported
The available report does not establish how the tools work, which iPhone models or iOS versions they support, or whether the device must be connected or handled in a particular way. It also does not identify the conditions under which Evidence Preservation Mode can be used or say whether GrayKey Preserve is commercially available.
Magnet’s claims are based on a video obtained by 404 Media, rather than independent testing described in the source material. There is no account here from Apple confirming the tools’ effectiveness, and no evidence that they bypass every lock or provide access to all information on a phone. The scope, reliability and legal safeguards around use remain unclear.
Evidence Preservation Mode for iPhone
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Verification and Product Details
The next useful developments would be technical details from Magnet Forensics, independent testing of the claimed preservation capability and information about supported devices and software versions. Any assessment will need to distinguish keeping an iPhone from rebooting from actually unlocking it or extracting particular data.
Apple’s response, if any, and further reporting on availability and law-enforcement use could clarify how the tools affect the company’s security measure in practice. Until those details emerge, the confirmed development is Magnet’s claim and the names of the two offerings reported by 404 Media—not a verified account of their performance across iPhones.
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Key Questions
What has Magnet Forensics announced?
According to a video obtained by 404 Media, Magnet says it has developed GrayKey Preserve, a standalone device, and Evidence Preservation Mode, a feature for GrayKey systems. They are intended to keep iPhones from reaching the 72-hour inactivity reboot state.
Does this mean GrayKey can unlock every iPhone?
No such conclusion is supported by the available report. It describes a claimed way to preserve a phone’s state, but does not establish that the tools unlock every iPhone or retrieve all data.
What does Apple’s inactivity reboot do?
As reported by 404 Media in November 2024, iOS automatically reboots an iPhone after 72 hours without an unlock. The resulting state is intended to make forensic access more difficult.
Why would investigators want to prevent the reboot?
Police may not be able to examine a seized phone straight away while they wait for court authorization or work through a forensic backlog. The reboot can change the device’s security state during that delay.
Has the reported capability been independently verified?
The supplied reporting does not describe independent testing or confirmation from Apple. The tools’ technical limits, supported iPhones and availability remain unclear.
Source: hn
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