Apple fixes Signal notification bug

Apple pushed iOS 26.4.2 and iPadOS 26.4.2 on April 22 to fix a bug that could keep deleted notifications on a device. (support.apple.com) The flaw sat in Notification Services, the Apple system that shows alerts on the Lock Screen and elsewhere. Apple said notifications “marked for deletion” could be “unexpectedly retained on the device.” (support.apple.com) Apple tracked the issue as CVE-2026-28950 and said it fixed a logging problem with “improved data redaction.” The same patch also shipped for older supported devices in iOS 18.7.8 and iPadOS 18.7.8. (support.apple.com) (macrumors.com) The bug mattered because secure messaging apps protect message contents in transit, but phone operating systems still handle previews, badges, and Lock Screen alerts. If those system records linger, deleted app data is not the only place investigators can look. (support.apple.com) (macrumors.com) Reports this month tied the issue to an Federal Bureau of Investigation extraction of Signal message previews from an iPhone after the Signal app had been deleted. MacRumors said the phone had been set to show Signal message content on the Lock Screen. (macrumors.com) (thehackernews.com) Apple’s advisory does not say whether the bug was exploited in attacks, how long deleted alerts could persist, or whether cleanup removed data already stored before the patch. Its bulletin only says the issue was addressed in the April 22 release. (support.apple.com) The affected current-version devices start at iPhone 11 and include recent iPads such as iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad mini 5th generation and later, and iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later. (support.apple.com) Apple’s main security releases page still lists iOS 26.4.1 as the latest general release, which makes 26.4.2 look like an out-of-band security update rather than a routine feature build. (support.apple.com 1) (support.apple.com 2) For Signal users, the fix does not change Signal’s encryption model. It closes a gap in how Apple stored notification leftovers outside the app itself. (support.apple.com) (thehackernews.com)