Digital Forensics for the Apple Watch and Other Smartwatches

Why Would You Ever Need Smartwatch Forensics Services?

It may seem strange to expect a smartwatch forensics investigation to yield anything of value. After all, it’s a wristwatch, and how much can a wristwatch tell you about your case? Well, as it turns out, these smart watches, along with the phones they’re connected to, can reveal a whole lot. Smartwatches are wearable computers, and today even the most basic models are packed with features that can store highly relevant information for your case.

The personal data you can find on a smartwatch and/or the user’s phone associated with it includes:

GPS and activity tracking data: Many of these smartwatches are marketed as sport watches, and can record data on the user’s whereabouts, such as the path they take on their morning jog. Many smartwatches can also include fitness tracker applications that keep track of its owner’s activities, help them manage and record their workouts, and even monitor their heart rate. These highly-personal tidbits of information can be stored within the watch or the phone it’s been set to sync to.

Calendars, schedulers, personal organizers: Smartwatches can carry a wealth of data relating to the user’s daily life. The user’s smartwatch can store calendar events for the user, such as their appointments, reminders, shopping lists, and search history, which is often synced between the watch and their smartphone and/or PC.

Text messages and phone calls: Many smartwatches fall under the category of “watch phones” and feature full mobile phone capabilities. Users can, on their smartwatch, receive and send text messages and phone calls via a Bluetooth or USB headset. Other smartwatches connect wirelessly to the user’s smartphone, allowing the owner to use their phone’s features and capabilities through the watch.

Smartwatches can also tell time.

Our Smartwatch Forensics Services

Gillware features skilled digital forensics experts who can help you in every step of the way through your investigation. From the initial forensic assessment of the smartwatch you need analyzed to the final forensic results, to expert testimony in court to make sure our findings are represented clearly and accurately, we have your back.

Gillware President Cindy Murphy is an industry veteran with decades of experience working in law enforcement as a digital forensic expert and several major industry certifications, including recommendation as an expert from Cellebrite.

When the smartwatch you need analyzed is damaged or broken, we leverage the expertise of our secure, GSA-contracted data recovery lab. Our data recovery and forensic experts can acquire as much data as possible, sift through it, and report our findings. With the tools and experience borne out of years of data recovery and digital forensics work, we excel at even the most delicate, sensitive, and complex cases.