A method of forensic authentication of audio recordings generated using the Voice Memos application in the iPhone.

Considering the widespread use of mobile phones, audio recordings of crime scenes are widely used as digital evidence; however, it is important to authenticate the audio recordings before consideration as legal evidence. This study aimed to develop a method to authenticate audio recordings generated using the iPhone through three steps: 1) bitrate/audio latency time analysis of audio recordings, 2) comparison of the file structure/timestamp on audio recordings, and 3) device-based log history examinations for the provenance of audio recordings. Herein, we analyzed audio recording samples from ten different models of mobile handsets of the iPhone with Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) or Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC), through the Voice Memos application depending on the iPhone Operating System (iOS). To analyze the characteristics of these audio recordings, we compared features including audio latency, file format/structure, and timestamps between the audio recordings generated in the iPhone and those edited through the built-in audio editing function. Furthermore, we investigated the log history registered in devices during the generation of the audio recordings. Differences in the audio latency, file size, timestamps, bitrate, and log history were confirmed on the iPhone when manipulating the audio recordings. The present results show that it is possible to verify the authentication of audio recordings generated using the Voice Memos application on iPhone.