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Apple Patch Blocks FBI Access to Deleted Signal Messages

4/24/2026

Summary

Apple Stops FBI

Apple released a patch on April 22 2026 that stopped FBI access to deleted Signal messages.
The patch fixed vulnerability CVE-2026-28950 in iOS 26.4.2, iPadOS 26.4.2, iOS 18.7.8 and iPadOS 18.7.8.
404 Media disclosed that push-notification previews of Signal content were stored for up to a month after the app was deleted.
Signal said, after Meredith Whittaker’s April 15 urging, that the update will remove retained notifications and will prevent future storage of deleted-app alerts.

Summary

Apple Issues Patch

Apple released an out-of-band emergency update back-porting the notification fix to iOS 26.4.2 and iOS 18.7.8.
The patch supports iPhone 11+ and iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd gen+ through iPad mini 5th gen+.
Apple’s advisory cites “improved data redaction” but gives no detail on retained notifications.
Apple offered no reason for releasing the update outside its normal release cycle.
Analysts view the back-port as proof Apple prioritizes notification integrity, consistent with its 2023 court-order policy.

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Apple Stops FBI

Apple released a patch on April 22 2026 that stopped FBI access to deleted Signal messages.
The patch fixed vulnerability CVE-2026-28950 in iOS 26.4.2, iPadOS 26.4.2, iOS 18.7.8 and iPadOS 18.7.8.
404 Media disclosed that push-notification previews of Signal content were stored for up to a month after the app was deleted.
Signal said, after Meredith Whittaker’s April 15 urging, that the update will remove retained notifications and will prevent future storage of deleted-app alerts.

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