Report compares law enforcement unlocking iOS and Android devices


Some interesting bits in a November, 2015 report issued from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office on smartphone encryption. i think the key point here is a backdoor access for lawful use by law enforcement could also potentially be used by anyone.

For Android devices:

Forensic examiners are able to bypass passcodes on some of those devices using a variety of forensic techniques. For some other types of Android devices, Google can reset the passcodes when served with a search warrant and an order instructing them to assist law enforcement to extract data from the device. This process can be done by Google remotely and allows forensic examiners to view the contents of a device. For Android devices running operating systems Lollipop 5.0 and above, however, Google plans to use default full-disk encryption, like that being used by Apple, that will make it impossible for Google to comply with search warrants and orders instructing them to assist with device data extraction. Full-disk encryption has not yet been implemented as a default on all Android devices running Lollipop 5.0 and later systems

...

Generally, users have the option to enable full-disk encryption on their current Android devices, whether or not the device is running Lollipop 5.0, but doing so causes certain inconveniences, risks, and performance issues, which are likely to exist until OEMs are required to standardize certain features. As of October 5, 2015, approximately 23% of Android users were running Lollipop 5.0 or higher.

Compared to iOS:

For Apple devices running iOS 8, Apple can no longer comply with unlock orders. iOS 8 prevents Apple from accessing data on the device unless Apple has the user's passcode. But, Apple does not keep users' passcodes. Thus, it is no longer possible for Apple to extract data as it did for devices running prior operating systems. According to Apple, as of October 19, 2015, approximately 61% of all Apple devices currently in use run iOS 9, and approximately 30% use iOS 8. Only nine percent use an earlier iOS version.