That’s not a guess. It’s straight from Cellebrite’s 2026 Industry Trends Report- more than half of mobile devices come in locked. And in our world, that’s where the clock starts ticking.
Smartphones (and they are all smart!) now show up in 97% of investigations. Two years ago that number was 73%. Cases used to have a single phone but now we’re seeing multiple. The phone in someone’s pocket has become the most important witness in the room. (The hard part is getting them to talk!)
86% of examiners report difficulty with iOS devices. 65% say the same about Android. Newer iPhones are the toughest — Apple’s Stolen Device Protection can require Face ID or Touch ID even when you have the passcode. And every iOS update reshuffles the deck for forensic tools.
Here is what clients and counsel need to understand: for most iOS devices, getting a full extraction depends on the owner’s cooperation. Passcode. Help with two-factor prompts. Temporarily disabling Stolen Device Protection. Without that, even Cellebrite, the industry’s heaviest hammer, may not get you what you need.
And while everyone is figuring that out, retention windows, remote wipes, failed unlock attempts, and routine device use can all create preservation and spoliation problems that are difficult to unwind later.
Digital evidence is central to almost every case now, but access to a phone isn’t a button you push. It’s a layered process, and the cases that go smoothly are the ones where everyone sets realistic expectations.
If you’re litigating a matter where a phone is in play such as employment, IP theft, partnership disputes, family law, fraud . . . the preservation conversation needs to happen before the device gets handed over, not after.
Man, I miss the iPhone 4. Crackable. Hackable. Cooperative.