- Apple just patched an iPhone vulnerability that was likely used by the FBI to access Signal messages
- The update comes as part of iOS 26.4.2
- That's the only named fix included in the update.
iOS 26.4.2 has arrived, and while it doesn't seem to bring many new features, you should definitely install it anyway, as the so-called fix likely fixes a flaw that the FBI recently exploited.
Specifically, this update fixes a bug that meant “notifications marked for deletion could be unexpectedly retained on the device,” which appears to be a direct response to the recent news that the FBI managed to recover Signal messages from someone's phone, even with the app removed and incoming messages set to disappear.
The office accomplished this by using the iPhone's push notification database, which still stored incoming message notifications from the app.
Article continues below.
Keep your messages private
While Apple doesn't go into details here, it seems like this update could prevent that from happening with notifications from deleted apps. Certainly, the timing of this update suggests that it is a response to the FBI's actions.
But even if you think you'll never find yourself in a situation where law enforcement tries to access your communications, it's probably worth downloading iOS 26.4.2 just to be safe. Other fixes that have not been detailed may also be included.
You can head to Settings > General > Software Update to manually check for updates if you haven't already received a notification about it, and the same fix is available for iPads as part of iPadOS 26.4.2.
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