iPhone Lockdown Mode protects your data, even from the FBI - here's how to use it

Lockdown Mode is extreme, but it defends your iPhone against cyber attacks and blocks forensic tools after a seizure. Here's how to quickly activate it.

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Lockdown Mode drastically limits iPhone features to stop targeted attacks.
• It is extreme, reversible, and meant for high-risk users, not everyone. 
• Enabling it can even block law enforcement's forensic tools after a seizure.

The iPhone has a little-known but extreme security feature called Lockdown Mode, and most people will never need it. It's in the news this week after the FBI reportedly seized a journalist's phone but could not access it because Lockdown Mode was enabled.

Introduced with iOS 16 about four years ago, Lockdown Mode is available to anyone, but it is really meant for people facing serious, targeted threats, such as ...