iOS 26.4.2 fixes an iPhone security flaw exploited by the FBI

• Apple has 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 landed, and while it doesn’t appear to bring much in the way of new features, you should absolutely install it anyway, as the one named fix it does have likely addresses 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 sounds like it’s a direct response to the recent news that the FBI managed to retrieve Signal messages from someone’s phone, even with the app deleted and incoming messages set to disappear.

The bureau achieved this using the iPhone’s push notification database, which still stored notifications of incoming messages from the app.

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Keeping your messages private