Accessing data on a locked iPhone running the latest version of iOS would be "impossible," according to Apple.
Following a U.S. Justice Department request for access to a seized, but locked, iPhone, Cupertino told a judge that the request "would be impossible to perform" on newer devices, Reuters said.
That's because Apple beefed up security starting with iOS 8, turning encryption on by default. So if a phone running iOS 8 or 9 is locked, even Cupertino can't get in.
"On devices running iOS 8 and later versions, your personal data is placed under the protection of your passcode," Apple says on its website. "For all devices running iOS 8 and later versions, Apple will not perform iOS data extractions in response to government search warrants because the files to be extracted are protected by an encryption key that is tied to the user's passcode, which Apple does not possess."
"It's not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession," according to Apple.
The device in this case, however, is running an older version of iOS that Apple could access, but Cupertino still doesn't want to do it, Reuters said. "Forcing Apple to extract data in this case, absent clear legal authority to do so, could threaten the trust between Apple and its customers and substantially tarnish the Apple brand," company lawyers wrote in a brief.
In the wake of Apple and Google encrypting their latest mobile operating systems last year, federal authorities argued that it would hurt their ability to gather evidence. Earlier this year, Apple joined 150 tech firms in urging President Obama to urged the administration to embrace encryption.