Apple’s New Hidden Feature Stops Thieves From Accessing Your iPhone—Here’s How It Works

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New Delhi: Apple has always focused on keeping its devices secure by adding features over the years to protect user data. From Face ID and Touch ID to encrypted messages, these updates help keep information private and safe from unauthorised access. Now, with its latest iPhone update, Apple has quietly introduced an "inactivity reboot" feature, which makes it even harder for anyone—whether thieves or law enforcement—to unlock the phone without permission.

A new feature called “inactivity reboot” has been found in the latest iOS 18.1 update, now available across many iPhones, including the latest iPhone 16 series.

New iPhone Security Feature: Here’s How It Works

The “inactivity reboot” feature is a security tool from Apple that activates if the iPhone is turned off unusually or if any suspicious activity is detected. This helps to keep the device secure. The new feature steps in when an iPhone is stolen or confiscated and someone repeatedly tries different passwords to unlock it. By rebooting automatically in these cases, the iPhone becomes almost impossible to access, even with advanced tools.

According to a report by 404 Media, which references a security expert, the new reboot timer “will cause devices in an AFU state to reboot to a BFU state after a set period of time, which we have also identified.” For context, AFU stands for After First Unlock, while BFU means Before First Unlock.

Apple’s new security feature adds an extra layer of protection by monitoring if an iPhone has been unlocked at least once after rebooting. If it hasn’t, the device automatically enters a secure BFU (Before First Unlock) state, making it nearly impossible to unlock.