US authorities drop another iPhone fight after being given passcode

The legal maneuverings in two cases illustrate the challenge Washington faces as it pressures the technology industry to build wiretap-friendly products

The US government dropped a court case that could have forced Apple to unlock one of its iPhones, the second time it has done so in as many months.

The Department of Justice on Friday night told a federal judge in New York that someone had given investigators the passcode to an iPhone linked to a local drug investigation.