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The DOJ first hinted it might be able to crack the phone without Apple's help last week when it filed for a postponement of a court hearing. So far, there's no word on who the mystery hacker is.

Apple previously called the government's request a threat to privacy.

In an open letter, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the request was the equivalent of asking the company to hand over "a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks — from restaurants and banks to stores and homes."

According to a statement obtained by CNBC, Apple said the case never should've been filed and that it would "continue to increase the security of [its] products."

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

Credit: NYT