4 ms·

Or squeeze the power and volume buttons for a couple of seconds. It’s good to practice both these gestures so that they become reflex, rather than trying to rem

Or squeeze the power and volume buttons for a couple of seconds. It’s good to practice both these gestures so that they become reflex, rather than trying to remember them when they’re needed.

pkulak 9mo ago
Oh wow, just going into the "should I shutdown" menu also goes into pre-boot lock state? I didn't know that.
- duskwuff 9mo ago
  It doesn't reenter a BFU state, but it requires a passcode for the next unlock.
  - snuxoll 9mo ago
    It's close enough, because (most of) the encryption keys are wiped from memory every time the device is locked, and this action makes the secure enclave require PIN authentication to release them again.
    - overfeed 9mo ago
      > It's close enough Not really, because tools like Cellbrite are more limited with BFU, hence the manual informing LEO to keep (locked) devices charged, amd the countermeasures being iOS forcefully rebooting devices that have been locked for too long.
      - CGMthrowaway 9mo ago
        There is a way now to force BFU from a phone that is turned on, I can't remember the sequence
        duskwuff 9mo ago
        Eh? BFU ("before first unlock") is, by definition, the state that a phone is in when it is turned on. There's no need to "force" it. If you mean forcing an iOS device out of BFU, that's impossible. The device's storage is encrypted using a key derived from the user's passcode. That key is only available once the user has unlocked the device once, using their passcode.
        kccqzy 9mo ago
        It’s called restarting the phone.
        CGMthrowaway 9mo ago
        I believe doing the standard Restart everyone knows is not enough though. The instructions saw were these Quick-press Volume Up, then Quick-press Volume Down. Hold the side power button until the screen turns black (approx. 10 seconds). Immediately hold both the side button and the Volume Down button for 5 seconds. Release the side button but continue holding the Volume Down button for another 10 seconds. The screen will remain black. If the Apple logo appears, the side button was held too long, and the process must be repeated.
        kccqzy 9mo ago
        That’s DFU mode. We are talking about BFU in this thread.
regenschutz 9mo ago
Sad, neither of those works on Android. Pressing the power button activates the emergency call screen with a countdown to call emergency services, and power + volume either just takes a screenshot or enables vibrations/haptics depending on which volume button you press.
- thallium205 9mo ago
  On Pixel phones, Power + Volume Up retrieves a menu where you can select "Lockdown".
  - rationalist 9mo ago
    Not on my Pixel phone, that just sets it to vibrate instead of ring. Holding down the power button retrieves a menu where you can select "Lockdown".
    - zerocrates 9mo ago
      On my 9 you get a setting to choose if holding Power gets you the power menu or activates the assistant (I think it defaulted to assistant? I have it set to the power menu because I don't really ever use the assistant.)
      - rationalist 9mo ago
        Yes, that was the default for me, but I changed it in settings.
- silisili 9mo ago
  Did you check your phone settings? Mine has an option to add it to the power menu, so you get to it by whichever method you use to do that (which itself is sad that phones are starting to differ in what the power key does).

Or squeeze the power and volume buttons for a couple of seconds. It’s good to practice both these gestures so that they become reflex, rather than trying to remember them when they’re needed.

pkulak 9mo ago

Oh wow, just going into the "should I shutdown" menu also goes into pre-boot lock state? I didn't know that.

duskwuff 9mo ago
It doesn't reenter a BFU state, but it requires a passcode for the next unlock.
- snuxoll 9mo ago
  It's close enough, because (most of) the encryption keys are wiped from memory every time the device is locked, and this action makes the secure enclave require PIN authentication to release them again.
  - overfeed 9mo ago
    > It's close enough Not really, because tools like Cellbrite are more limited with BFU, hence the manual informing LEO to keep (locked) devices charged, amd the countermeasures being iOS forcefully rebooting devices that have been locked for too long.
    - CGMthrowaway 9mo ago
      There is a way now to force BFU from a phone that is turned on, I can't remember the sequence
      - duskwuff 9mo ago
        Eh? BFU ("before first unlock") is, by definition, the state that a phone is in when it is turned on. There's no need to "force" it. If you mean forcing an iOS device out of BFU, that's impossible. The device's storage is encrypted using a key derived from the user's passcode. That key is only available once the user has unlocked the device once, using their passcode.
      - kccqzy 9mo ago
        It’s called restarting the phone.
        CGMthrowaway 9mo ago
        I believe doing the standard Restart everyone knows is not enough though. The instructions saw were these Quick-press Volume Up, then Quick-press Volume Down. Hold the side power button until the screen turns black (approx. 10 seconds). Immediately hold both the side button and the Volume Down button for 5 seconds. Release the side button but continue holding the Volume Down button for another 10 seconds. The screen will remain black. If the Apple logo appears, the side button was held too long, and the process must be repeated.
        kccqzy 9mo ago
        That’s DFU mode. We are talking about BFU in this thread.

regenschutz 9mo ago

Sad, neither of those works on Android. Pressing the power button activates the emergency call screen with a countdown to call emergency services, and power + volume either just takes a screenshot or enables vibrations/haptics depending on which volume button you press.

thallium205 9mo ago
On Pixel phones, Power + Volume Up retrieves a menu where you can select "Lockdown".
- rationalist 9mo ago
  Not on my Pixel phone, that just sets it to vibrate instead of ring. Holding down the power button retrieves a menu where you can select "Lockdown".
  - zerocrates 9mo ago
    On my 9 you get a setting to choose if holding Power gets you the power menu or activates the assistant (I think it defaulted to assistant? I have it set to the power menu because I don't really ever use the assistant.)
    - rationalist 9mo ago
      Yes, that was the default for me, but I changed it in settings.
silisili 9mo ago
Did you check your phone settings? Mine has an option to add it to the power menu, so you get to it by whichever method you use to do that (which itself is sad that phones are starting to differ in what the power key does).