Glossary term
Mobile Forensics
Mobile forensics is the systematic acquisition and analysis of evidence from smartphones and tablets, covering iOS, Android, and other mobile platforms.
Mobile forensics has become central to most Canadian litigation matters. The phone is now the primary repository for personal communication, financial activity, location history, and social interaction. In a family law, criminal, employment, or commercial dispute, the phone often contains the most decisive evidence.
The discipline covers conventional acquisition through Cellebrite UFED, Magnet AXIOM, Oxygen Forensic Detective, and Elcomsoft Mobile, plus advanced techniques (chip-off, JTAG, ISP) for damaged or locked devices that conventional tools cannot read.
Analysis covers messaging history (iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Snapchat, Discord, Slack), location history, photos and metadata, browser activity, app usage, financial-app records, and where recoverable, deleted content from SQLite write-ahead log files.
For Canadian counsel, mobile evidence requires careful authentication under section 31.1 of the Canada Evidence Act. The forensic acquisition is what supports admissibility.