The FBI has been unable to access a Washington Post reporter’s seized iPhone because it was in Lockdown Mode, a sometimes overlooked feature that makes iPhones broadly more secure, according to recently filed court records.
The court record shows what devices and data the FBI was able to ultimately access, and which devices it could not, after [raiding the home of the reporter](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/14/fbi-raid-washington-post-hannah-natanson?ref=404media.co), Hannah Natanson, in January as part of an investigation into leaks of classified information. It also provides rare insight into the apparent effectiveness of Lockdown Mode, or at least how effective it might be before the FBI may try other techniques to access the device.
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The FBI has been unable to access a Washington Post reporter’s seized iPhone because it was in Lockdown Mode, a sometimes overlooked feature that makes iPhones broadly more secure, according to recently filed court records.
The court record shows what devices and data the FBI was able to ultimately access, and which devices it could not, after [raiding the home of the reporter](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/14/fbi-raid-washington-post-hannah-natanson?ref=404media.co), Hannah Natanson, in January as part of an investigation into leaks of classified information. It also provides rare insight into the apparent effectiveness of Lockdown Mode, or at least how effective it might be before the FBI may try other techniques to access the device.
“Because the iPhone was in Lockdown mode, CART could not extract that device,” [the court record reads](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26808056-fbi-washington-post-lockdown-mode/?ref=404media.co), referring to the [FBI’s Computer Analysis Response Team](https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/computer-analysis-and-response-team-cart-microcomputer-evidence?ref=404media.co), a unit focused on performing forensic analyses of seized devices. The document is written by the government, and is opposing the return of Natanson’s devices.
Read more: [https://www.404media.co/fbi-couldnt-get-into-wapo-reporters-iphone-because-it-had-lockdown-mode-enabled/](https://www.404media.co/fbi-couldnt-get-into-wapo-reporters-iphone-because-it-had-lockdown-mode-enabled/)
What is lockdown mode?
The FBI claimed the same thing in 2016 for the [San Bernardino shooters iPhone](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/04/fbi-could-have-gotten-san-bernardino-shooters-iphone-leadership-didnt-say).
Android option?)
https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/115009/documents/HHRG-117-JU00-20220719-SD003.pdf
Didn’t the FBI use Israeli tech to gain access to iPhones a while ago?
Lockdown mode working as intended.
The FBI should not be trying to get into a reporter’s phone for any reason, even if it has the evidence they would need to stop the next 9/11.
Also, if you press power button 5x quickly, that kills your FaceID and a PIN would have to be used to unlock the phone.
for iphone, push the lock button quickly 5 times
Ah ha lol
How do you activate lockdown mode?
Android users: POWER + VOL UP
Pegasus can get into it.
In before the “but my friend’s a cop and he says they have super hacker apps” comments.
Remember how strongly aligned APPLE is with MAGA. They are gonna crack that phone for their pedo-partner.