The United States Department of Justice said today that the FBI has agreed to iPhone phone used by the author of a shooting in the Californian city of San Bernardino in December and will not need as Apple's help to unlock the device.
"The FBI has successfully accessed the data stored on the iPhone terrorist San Bernardino and, therefore, no longer needs the help of Apple," he said in a statement the Justice Department spokeswoman, Melanie Newman.
Newman said investigators are reviewing the information on the phone following standard procedures in such cases.
The news comes after a hearing last week was canceled at the California court where they were scheduled to appear Apple and the Government after federal authorities requested the suspension to test a possible method of access to the iPhone.
The announcement ends a hard struggle between the government and Apple which began when federal Judge Sheri Pym ordered in mid-February the company help the FBI to access data on the phone the author of shooting in San Bernardino which they killed 14 people and investigated as a case of terrorism.
Apple refused to accede to requests from the Government, after arguing that doing so would jeopardize the safety of all iPhone phones.
The US government said today that it remains "priority" ensuring that law enforcement can obtain digital information "crucial" to protect national and public security, either through cooperation of the parties involved or resorting to the courts when the cooperation fails.
"We will continue to pursue the options available for this mission, including the cooperation of manufacturers and relying on the creativity of both the public and private sector," the Justice Department said in that statement.