MPC PSA: Your iPhone Isn't Actually Deleting the Emails You Tell it To
Secret agents in training and anyone else who assumed that deleting an email on an iPhone meant that it would actually be deleted should take note. On iPhone 3.0, deleted emails are easily viewed, even after you've emptied them from the trash. How's it done?
You can view a YouTube video of this frightening revelation right here, but if you're more of the read-it than watch-it type, here's how you can play along at home.
Fire up your iPhone and delete an email you don't want anyone else to read. Don't half-ass it though, be sure to go into your trash and remove the message. Now that you've eradicated the incriminating message, head over to the main Spotlight search screen and search for the subject line of the email you just deleted. Proceed to read both the subject and entire contents of said email message, and feel free to mutter a few obscenities.
According to Gizmodo, Apple is fully of aware of this security SNAFU and will "probably" include a fix in iPhone OS 3.1 (3.1 beta doesn't appear to suffer this same flaw). In the meantime, some have reported getting deleted messages to disappear by viewing them 3 or 4 times, but only do this if you for realsies want your deleted email to actually be deleted.