FBI used iPhone notification data to retrieve deleted Signal messages
4 hours ago
- #FBI Investigation
- #Signal
- #iOS Security
- The FBI recovered deleted Signal messages from an iPhone by accessing the device's notification database, even after Signal was uninstalled.
- The defendant, Lynette Sharp, had not enabled Signal's setting to hide message content in notifications, allowing message previews to be stored in Apple's internal notification storage.
- Notifications may continue to be sent after an app is deleted, as servers can't detect app removal immediately, and Apple recently updated how iOS handles push notification tokens.
- Data recovery likely occurred through device backups or using law enforcement tools that exploit iOS vulnerabilities, with the device's security state (like BFU/AFU modes) affecting access.
- Neither Signal nor Apple provided comments on notification handling or storage, leaving technical details of the FBI's method unclear.