Smartphones have quietly become one of the most important sources of evidence in modern investigations.

According to a new global survey from Cellebrite, mobile devices are now cited in 97% of criminal investigations, making them the single most relied-upon source of digital evidence. That figure represents a sharp rise from 73% in 2024, reflecting how quickly investigations have shifted toward mobile-first data.

The findings are drawn from Cellebrite’s latest industry trends report, based on responses from 1,200 digital forensics practitioners across 63 countries. What stands out is not just how common mobile evidence has become, but how central it is to case workflows.

For many investigators, phone data is no longer supplementary — it is now the starting point.

Digital Evidence Is Increasing Case Solvability — and Workload

Public safety respondents overwhelmingly agreed that digital evidence makes cases easier to solve. In the survey, 95% said digital evidence increases solvability, reinforcing how critical device data has become in building timelines, identifying relationships, and corroborating events.

At the same time, 94% said the growing complexity of digital evidence is straining caseloads. Messages, images, videos, app data, and cloud-linked information can quickly multiply into vast datasets that must be reviewed carefully and defensibly.

Despite this pressure, organisational change has been slower than the growth in evidence volumes. Only 62% of agency leaders said they have shifted resources away from legacy investigative methods toward digital approaches, pointing to ongoing gaps in staffing, training, and process redesign.

Review Time Is the Biggest Bottleneck

One of the clearest operational challenges identified in the report is review time.

Around two-thirds of respondents said reviewing digital evidence is the single biggest barrier to progressing cases. This reflects the sheer volume of data investigators now face, particularly when analysing large numbers of communications, media files, and application records from smartphones.

As investigations increasingly rely on digital sources from day one, review capacity has become just as important as data extraction.

AI Is Seen as Helpful — but Policy Often Gets in the Way

Artificial intelligence is widely viewed as a way to help investigators keep pace with growing evidence volumes. In the survey, 65% of public safety respondents said AI could accelerate investigations, particularly by assisting with analysis and pattern identification.

However, nearly one-third said their agency’s policies currently prevent AI from being used, highlighting a disconnect between perceived value and practical adoption.

One area where AI stood out was communications analysis. Practitioners pointed to AI’s ability to quickly analyse messages and identify links between people as one of its strongest use cases.

At the same time, concerns about governance, transparency, and public trust remain central.

As Matt Scott noted, the relationship between the public and law enforcement depends on trust. Any use of AI or automation must include safeguards, public consultation, and clear boundaries to ensure that decision-making remains with human officers and staff.

Investigations Are Becoming “Digital First”

Several practitioners described a fundamental shift in how investigations now begin.

“Digital evidence is increasingly where our investigations begin,” said James Howe. Rather than being confined to specialist labs, digital evidence is shaping case strategy from the outset, forcing agencies to rethink workflows across entire organisations.

From a technology provider perspective, Cellebrite described this data growth as unavoidable.

“It’s clear digital evidence is the backbone of modern justice,” said David Gee. As the number of devices and data sources continues to grow, agencies are being pushed to adopt tools and processes that allow them to work efficiently while preserving accuracy and evidentiary integrity.

Cloud Adoption Is Growing — but Slowly

The report also highlights uneven progress in how digital evidence is stored and shared.

Receptiveness to cloud-based digital evidence management rose to 42% in 2026, up from 38% the year before. Even so, traditional methods remain widespread. Two-thirds of respondents said they still share evidence using portable hard drives or USB sticks.

These practices can introduce risks around access control, tracking, and chain of custody. They can also slow collaboration between teams and agencies, especially when large files must be manually transferred and re-ingested into separate systems.

Digital Evidence Is Expanding Beyond Law Enforcement

The survey also examined private-sector investigations and found similar trends emerging across business environments.

Digital evidence is increasingly embedded into routine business operations, with AI adoption moving from planning into active implementation. Among private-sector respondents, the most common investigation types included eDiscovery, data theft, and network exploits.

Mobile data appeared in 66% of private-sector investigations, while computer storage and cloud data each featured in nearly half. More than half of respondents said AI-assisted communication analysis helped accelerate outcomes.

As Colin Duncan explained, organisations are focusing more on preparedness rather than purely reacting after incidents occur. The goal is consistent, defensible understanding of data across systems — with AI used responsibly to speed analysis without sacrificing accountability.

A CSB Perspective

At CSB, we see these findings as part of a broader shift. Digital evidence — particularly from smartphones — is no longer a niche capability. It is becoming foundational to investigations across public safety, legal, and corporate environments.

As data volumes grow, the challenge is no longer just access to evidence, but how quickly, securely, and responsibly it can be reviewed and shared. Tools like AI offer meaningful opportunities to reduce workload and improve outcomes, but only when paired with clear governance, policy alignment, and human oversight.

The future of investigations is digital-first — and organisations that adapt their processes, skills, and safeguards accordingly will be far better positioned to keep pace.