Report says GrayKey bypasses iOS Inactivity Reboot

A report by 404 Media says Magnet Forensics has developed a way for its GrayKey tools to bypass Apple’s iOS Inactivity Reboot feature. The feature restarts an iPhone after 72 hours without an unlock, moving it into Before First Unlock (BFU), a state in which encryption keys for certain sensitive data are withheld until the passcode is entered.

In a video reviewed by 404 Media, Magnet says a new device called GrayKey Preserve can keep an iPhone in After First Unlock (AFU), a less secure state, even through a restart. The report says Magnet has used the exploit since at least early 2025, based on the date of the video.

GrayKey Preserve and an Evidence Preservation Mode for the regular GrayKey can also recover data that iOS would otherwise delete after a period, including location data, iMessages and deleted images. A Magnet employee says in the video the company can preserve that data “for an infinite amount of time.”

The video does not explain the technical method. A Magnet employee suggests blocking wireless transmissions could be involved. Security expert Jiska Classen told 404 Media the device might manipulate iOS’s clock to prevent the reboot and automatic deletion processes from running.

Apple has previously worked to block forensic tools and opposed requests for an iOS backdoor. The report does not describe Apple’s response to this claimed workaround.