A team of hackers has come up with a new jailbreak for the iPhone, demonstrating how it persists with Lockdown Mode on, even after an update to iOS 27.2.

Lockdown Mode is Apple's way to harden device security, intended to protect high-profile individuals from sophisticated cyberattacks. While Apple claimed back in March 2026 that it had managed a 100% protection rate since 2022, it seems it's not completely impenetrable.

In a video posted to X, hacker group Calif shows an iPhone 18 Pro with Lockdown Mode enabled. A PDF is then sent to the iPhone using AirDrop and viewed.

It is presumed that the PDF is part of the process, due to the change of music in the video. However, as Calif hasn't shared any technical details of the jailbreak in public, it could've been performed before the video started.

Immediately after the AirDrop, the video shows someone navigating to the Software Update section of Settings, resulting in a pop-up warning Lockdown Mode is enabled and that it would affect certain settings. They then dismiss the notification, select to install the update to iOS 27.2, enter the iPhone's passcode, and allow the update to run.

After a few minutes, the iPhone processes the update and completes it successfully.

According to MacRumors, Calif has said it was disclosing found vulnerabilities to Apple. It also wasn't going to produce a jailbreak tool either.

A little less than perfect

If genuine, the video shows that Apple's Lockdown Mode is a secure way to protect your iPhone and your data from attacks, but not completely perfect.

The point of Lockdown Mode is that it hardens the iPhone's security for people who need it. Think politicians, activists, and CEOs who would be big targets for hackers.

Enabling Lockdown Mode in iOS 16 or later places many limits on apps and services operating on the iPhone. That includes blocking the use of some technologies while browsing the Internet and blocking links and most message types from being viewable in Messages.

On the more extreme end, it will block the installation of configuration mobiles, prevent the iPhone from being installed into Mobile Device Management systems, and will even disconnect from non-secure Wi-Fi networks.

The intention is to prevent many of the main avenues of attack that a hacker can use to access the target's on-device data and accounts.

The discovery of a jailbreak allowing an iOS update to occur while seemingly allowing the jailbreak to persist means Apple has more work to do.

Apple may have said in March that there had not been any successful hacks of iPhones in Lockdown Mode. Evidently that perfect record is blemished.