Apple released the iOS 27.2 Developer Beta 1 update a few hours ago and references found inside the iOS version codebase point to a more thorough way to wipe an iPhone's data. A new option to overwrite an iPhone's storage with blank data is being prepared for one region only.
According to 9to5Mac, the new option to overwrite an iPhone's storage with blank data will only appear on Apple iPhones sold in China. The reason is GB 46864-2025, a Chinese national standard, set to take effect on January 1, 2027.
The policy requires smartphones and other electronic devices to offer a more thorough way to erase stored data, including overwriting that data. For semiconductor storage like the flash memory in phones, one approved method involves overwriting user data at least once with meaningless data.
Hence, this is more of a regulatory compliance option rather than a security feature. Also, at the time of writing, this will only take effect in China, meaning there will be no change in how Apple overwrites data in its iPhones in the rest of the world.
Moreover, aside from iPhones, code references also point to this new data wipeout feature being supported by the iPad, HomePod and Apple Vision Pro.
Apart from this, the new overwrite feature comes with a warning. Apple says that the process takes longer than a standard erase, and Apple cautions that it could affect the iPhone's lifespan because flash memory has a finite number of write cycles. Moreover, writing blank data across the entire drive burns through some of them for no security benefit.
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