this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2026
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The FBI has been unable to access a Washington Post reporter’s seized iPhone because it was in Lockdown Mode, a sometimes overlooked feature that makes iPhones broadly more secure, according to recently filed court records.

The court record shows what devices and data the FBI was able to ultimately access, and which devices it could not, after raiding the home of the reporter, Hannah Natanson, in January as part of an investigation into leaks of classified information. It also provides rare insight into the apparent effectiveness of Lockdown Mode, or at least how effective it might be before the FBI may try other techniques to access the device.

“Because the iPhone was in Lockdown mode, CART could not extract that device,” the court record reads, referring to the FBI’s Computer Analysis Response Team, a unit focused on performing forensic analyses of seized devices. The document is written by the government, and is opposing the return of Natanson’s devices.

Archive: http://archive.today/gfTg9

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[–] Pxtl@lemmy.ca 9 points 11 hours ago (3 children)

Android phones have lockdown mode too. Hold the power button to show the shutdown menu and click lockdown.

phone screenshot

[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 hours ago

joke on you! google's recent requirement is that all phone vendors make the power button open an AI menu instead of the shutdown menu! on most phones it can be fixed, but it's often hidden very deep in the settings.

[–] BanMe@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago

They're not the same. Android lockdown is a temporary lock screen state. iOS lockdown is a full OS hardening, affects the way the phone operates full-time.

[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 6 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Having it and it working as well are two different things. historically Apple has been ahead in security that can slow down or stop law enforcement. And before before you jump to the same conclusions as someone else, I never have owned an iPhone, nor wanted to.

[–] bitwolf@sh.itjust.works -1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

That's incorrect. Google's Android has several industry leading security features the iPhone doesn't support.

[–] Analog@lemmy.ml 3 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

That’s… not what they said.

[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

There's a lot of copium in this thread. Joke is I've been pretty hardcore Android since day one, I have never owned an iPhone. I am just capable of some level of objectivity. Shit there's podcasts out there from early in the Android v iOS days where I was the token Android guy defending it as the IBM compatible equivalent of its day. Telling these hard core iPhone guys that Apple would lose the market share fight worldwide because of the closed nature, the same way they lost it on the desktop. But yeah, there's people here denouncing me as an Apple fanboy because I was capable of complimenting a strength it has.

[–] Analog@lemmy.ml 2 points 8 hours ago

Keep doing it. They all have strengths and suckiness at the same time.