Apple has introduced a new feature in its latest version of iOS that could make unlocking iPhones more difficult for both the police and thieves.

On Thursday, 404 Media reported that law enforcement officers had begun warning each other about unusual behavior in phones stored for forensic examination, as they appeared to be restarting automatically. This was later confirmed by security experts. When the iPhones restart, they become harder to unlock with password-cracking tools.

This restart occurs in devices running iOS 18.1 that have remained locked for a specific period. Chris Wade, founder of the mobile device analysis company Corellium, explained that iPhones restart after being locked for four days.

For Matthew Green, cryptographer and professor at Johns Hopkins University, this update represents “a major improvement in terms of security” that, in his words, “probably won’t bother anyone,” although law enforcement may think differently.

By: Nestor Castillo, ForAllTechNews Director