Magnet Preserve: The Forensic Answer to Automatic Rebooting of Mobile Phones

The pace of change in mobile technology is relentless, and with each new version of operating systems, digital investigators face increasing challenges in preserving and accessing critical evidence before it is lost. The recent introduction ofinactivity reset timerson iOS and Android has turned this scenario into a real race against time: if a device remains locked for a period (for example, 72 hours on iOS), it automatically restarts, returns to the stateBefore First Unlock(BFU) and re-encrypts all user data, leaving even seized evidence legally inaccessible.Magnet Forensics

This time blocking represents a particular risk for investigations that rely on mobile data to establish communications, timelines, and intent. Simply waiting for a court order is no longer neutral—it can mean the permanent loss of vital evidence.Magnet Forensics

The Solution: Magnet Graykey Preserve

Faced with this challenge,Magnet Forensicshas developedGraykey Preserve, a tool designed specifically forLock the current state of a mobile device and protect evidence before it disappears—without extracting data or violating user privacy.fulcrum.net.au

Graykey Preserve works by neutralizing the effect of reset timers and maintains the accessible state of the device (After First Unlock, AFU) for the time necessary for investigators to obtain a court order and proceed with a complete laboratory extraction. This allows you to preserve data that would otherwise be lost due to automatic reboots or scheduled deletion of artifacts such as location logs, messages, or temporary files.Magnet Forensics+1

Unlike other tools,Graykey Preserve does not extract or force passwords; Its focus is exclusively on preservation. In doing so, it offers agencies a constitutional, controlled and time-sensitive solution: the device remains in its current state without displaying content, without extracting information and without compromising privacy, thus guaranteeing that the evidence remains intact until it can be formally analyzed.fulcrum.net.au

Why it matters now more than ever

In today's mobile forensics environment, data loss doesn't just happen from soft reboots: internal system processes also remove artifacts over days, even if the device is in airplane mode or isolated in a Faraday bag.Magnet Forensics

Magnet Graykey Preserve responds directly to this reality: it allows investigators and prosecutors to act within legal frameworks and without sacrificing the integrity of the evidence. By making immediate preservation standard practice, you protect the truth behind each case—from establishing timelines to corroborating testimony—before the clock runs against you.