Apple patches bug that exposed deleted Signal messages
Apple has patched a bug that caused deleted Signal messages to remain accessible in iOS notification databases for up to a month. The issue allowed forensic tools, such as those used by the FBI, to recover message content even after Signal's auto-delete function had removed them from the app. The fix has been backported to iOS 18, emphasizing the importance of updating devices for privacy protection.
- ▪iOS stored notification content, including Signal messages, in an internal database that retained data for up to a month after deletion.
- ▪The FBI used forensic tools to extract Signal message content that was believed to have been erased by the app's auto-delete feature.
- ▪Apple's security update addressed the issue by ensuring notifications marked for deletion are no longer unexpectedly retained on the device.
- ▪Signal president Meredith Whittaker criticized Apple for retaining deleted message notifications in the OS database.
- ▪The patch was backported to iOS 18, so users do not need the latest iOS version to receive the fix.
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Apple patches bug that exposed deleted Signal messages Ellsworth Toohey 10:52 am Tue Apr 28, 2026 BigTunaOnline / Shutterstock.com Signal's disappearing messages weren't fully disappearing. When a message arrived on your iPhone, iOS stored the notification content in an internal database — and that database held onto the text for up to a month after you deleted the message inside Signal. The FBI ran forensic tools on someone's iPhone and extracted Signal message content that the app's auto-delete timer had supposedly erased. Apple has now patched the bug, according to TechCrunch.
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