Law enforcement's GrayKey iPhone unlocking devices now support iOS 17 and the iPhone 15 for the first time

(Image credit: Future)

If you own an iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro or just have an iPhone running iOS 17, the information held within it is now less secure than you might think. That's after the company behind the infamous GrayKey device confirmed that iOS 17 is now no longer enough to stop law enforcement officers from gaining access to iPhones.

GrayKey devices are used by law enforcement throughout the world as a way to gain access to locked iPhones and other devices, but until now iOS 17 was not supported by those iPhone-cracking boxes. Now, that's no longer the case after Magnet Forensics, the company that makes GrayKey boxes, announced the news that iOS 17 support has been added.

This news isn't only bad for iPhone owners, either, with Magnet also confirming that the Samsung Galaxy S24 series of devices as well as Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 phones can also now be accessed even when locked.

Cracked

In a post on the company's blog, Magnet said that it was "thrilled to announce that Magnet GrayKey supports the latest Apple iOS and Android devices" including those running iOS 17.

"The new OS and device support added in this huge release helps to ensure you have the tools necessary to access the mobile devices you encounter during your investigations," the blog post added, noting that approximately 66% of all iPhones and iPads were running iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 as of February this year. The figure "jumps to 76% for devices introduced in the last four years," Magnet adds.

The move means that even the latest iPhones can now be unlocked by law enforcement should the need arise.

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Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.