Apple is working on a new iPhone that the government wouldn't be able to hack, the New York Times first reported.
The Times report comes in the wake of a court fight between Apple and the FBI to break into the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook.
The FBI asked Apple not to limit the number of times a passcode can be tried in order to crack into the shooter's phone Feb. 16. The FBI also wants Apple to alter its iOS operating system so passcodes can be input electronically.
If Apple succeeds in upgrading its security for a new iPhone, law enforcement agencies would face significant challenges breaking into phones, even if the Obama administration wins its fight to access Farook's iPhone data, according to the Times.
That would set up another round of court fights between Apple and the federal government.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has refused to comply with the FBI's request, stating that making such a key to access the device poses privacy concerns. In an interview with ABC Wednesday, Cook said the FBI is asking Apple to write the "software equivalent of cancer."
Reports also surfaced last week that the Apple ID password associated with the suspected shooter's phone was changed less than 24 hours after it was placed in the government's possession. Had the password not been changed, Apple wouldn't need to create a tool allowing for a brute force attack as the FBI has requested.