Apple has added a new security feature in its iOS 18.1 update called Inactivity Reboot that reboots iPhones in case of a period of inactivity. A new report by 404 Media has revealed that the feature caused iPhones that had been confiscated by law enforcement to randomly reboot and lock police officials out because they had been disconnected from a cellular network for a while.

Jiska Classen, a security researcher then investigated Apple’s code and discovered the new feature on iOS 18.1 and described it on social media platform, Mastodon. 

Once rebooted, iPhones become more secure against tools which try to crack the password. First, the phone is in a state of Before First Unlock (BFU), so information is encrypted and the Face ID is disabled until a user enters a passcode. 

The feature reboots the iPhone after its been idle for four days.

Early in January this year, Apple had introduced the Stolen Device Protection feature so iPhone users can protect their data in case its stolen with either Face ID or Touch ID. When enabled, any third-parties will be prevented from turning off ‘Lost Mode’ and changing the Apple ID or accessing account passwords.