After years of litigation, the US government is giving up its pursuit to break into iPhones.

The US government is dropping its effort to compel Apple to break into the iPhones of the Pensacola shooter, ending a long-running dispute between Apple and law enforcement. <br><br>Roughly 18 months ago, the Department of Justice first asked a federal judge to force Apple to break into the shooter’s iPhones, and Apple refused. In the end, the FBI was able to get into the phones without Apple's help. In a court filing, the US said that it's dropping the case, as it has already gained access to the phones. <br><br>The case was about two new iPhones belonging to the Pensacola shooter, a member of the Saudi air force. The phones were recovered after the FBI shot and killed him at the scene of the attack. The phones were passcode-locked, and the FBI was unable to get into them.<br><br>This case was the first time in several years that the US government demanded that Apple break into its own iPhones, and the first time that Apple was taken to court over the issue. The case was being closely watched by tech companies as it tested the limits of whether a company can be forced to undermine its own security features. <br><br>The dispute highlights the long-running "going dark" debate over the balance between law enforcement's access to digital devices and citizens' right to privacy.