Cellebrite’s 2026 Industry Trends Report reveals smartphones account for 97% of cases as the primary source of digital evidence in investigations
97% cite smartphones as the most important source of evidence, up 24 points from 2024
95% agree that digital evidence increases the likelihood of resolution, but 94% say complexity is weighing down caseloads
65% believe AI can accelerate investigations, but one-third say policies are preventing its use
Cloud acceptance reaches 42%, but two-thirds still rely on physical media
Tysons Corner, Virginia and Petah Tikvah, Israel., February 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cellebrite (NASDAQ: CLBT), a global leader in AI-powered digital investigative and intelligence solutions for the public and private sectors, today announced that 2026 Industry Trends ReportThe report is the company’s seventh annual report on how organizations collect, manage and analyze digital evidence, surveying 1,200 experts in 63 countries.
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Smartphones: essential for investigations
Smartphones are more relevant than ever in investigations, with 97% of investigators citing them as their top source of digital evidence, up 24 points from 73% in 2024. This increase reflects public expectations, with 97% of agency administrators saying the community expects digital evidence to be used in most cases.
AI adoption: strong interest, uneven policy support
Artificial intelligence (AI) is an increasingly important technology for increasing the speed and efficiency of investigations. Sixty-five percent of public safety respondents believe that AI will speed up investigations, but nearly one-third of respondents report that their agency’s policies discourage the use of AI. Two-thirds of respondents cited review time as the biggest barrier to moving cases, but AI can solve this, with respondents agreeing that one of its best features is being able to quickly analyze communications and identify connections between people.
Public safety: Capacity tightens as digital evidence becomes ubiquitous
Public safety surveys show that while 95% agree that digital evidence increases the likelihood of solving cases, 94% say complexity is putting a strain on caseloads. However, only 62% of government leaders are shifting resources from traditional to digital methods. This gap between awareness and action highlights the modernization challenges facing government agencies.
Matt Scott, head of the UK Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “The relationship between the public and the police is fundamental.” “When new technologies are introduced, it is important to seek public buy-in and put appropriate safeguards in place to ensure decision-making remains in the hands of officers and staff. The relationship between the public and police is fundamental. The use of AI and automation in policing should be done in consultation with the public and only applied where appropriate and responsibly to support productivity.”
“Increasingly, digital evidence is the beginning of an investigation,” said Detective James Howe of the Columbus Police Department in Ohio. “This modern reality requires us to rethink workflows, not just in the lab, but across government agencies. Digital evidence will shape how our cases are built from day one.”
“It’s clear that digital evidence is the backbone of modern justice,” said David Gee, chief marketing officer at Celebrite. “Today’s investigations have seen an explosion in the number of devices, data, and complexity that investigative agencies must manage. The only option to evolve is to mobilize and leverage technology that helps the justice system process evidence efficiently, while preserving the accuracy and ensuring defensibility of the evidence it relies on.”
Cloud adoption expands as evidence sharing risks persist
Using the cloud to store and share digital evidence is steadily becoming essential for government agencies of all sizes. Cloud acceptance for digital evidence management will reach 42% in 2026, up from 38% in 2025. Yet physical media remains the default choice, with two-thirds of respondents still sharing evidence via portable hard drives or USB sticks, creating chain of custody risks and slowing collaboration across agencies.
Private sector: Digital research is business essential
Private sector research shows a clear shift in AI adoption from strategic intent to practical application, with research being embedded across business operations.
Top use cases: e-discovery (54%), data theft (46%), network exploitation (44%)
66% of studies included mobile data. Computer storage and cloud data each appear at 46%
57% say AI-powered communication analytics accelerates results
Colin Duncan, eDiscovery Technician at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, said: “Having a clear understanding of data across systems, devices, and applications in a consistent and defensible manner is essential. Using AI responsibly allows teams to accelerate their work without compromising control or accountability.”
Influence on Celebrite
These trends are supporting strong adoption of Guardian, Cellebrite’s evidence and case management investigation platform, primarily in state and local law enforcement agencies in the United States, as well as in Latin America and the United Kingdom. In 2025, Guardian achieved triple-digit year-over-year growth across customers, users, and data stored on its platform, and recently became available to enterprise customers.
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About Celebrite
Cellebrite (Nasdaq: CLBT)’s mission is to protect communities, nations, and businesses as a global leader in digital investigative and intelligence solutions. More than 7,000 law enforcement, defense and intelligence organizations and businesses around the world trust Cellebrite’s AI-powered software portfolio to make forensically sound digital data more accessible and actionable. Cellebrite technology enables customers to accelerate more than 1.5 million legally authorized investigations per year, strengthen sovereign security, increase operational effectiveness and efficiency, and enable advanced mobile research and application security. Cellebrite’s technology is available through cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployments, enabling customers around the world to advance their missions, enhance public safety, and protect data privacy. Click here for more information. www.cellebrite.com.
media contact victor cooper Senior Director of Corporate Communications victor.cooper@cellebrite.com +1 404.804.5910
Investor information Andrew Kramer Vice President of Investor Relations investor@cellebrite.com +1 973.206.7760
