Högskolan i Skövde

With the increasing use of smartphones and smartwatches, these devices have become vital sources of digital evidence in forensic investigations, as they often act as “silent witnesses” to events. Thus, it is important to understand the unique challenges they pose—individually and in combination. This paper reports on a systematic literature review to examine how these devices relate to current forensic challenges, identify potential differences between the devices and future research needs. From 73 relevant articles, thematic analysis identified four main themes and related sub-themes for each device. The review considers not only technical constraints, but also the broader context in which these devices are used and investigated, offering a socio-technical lens on digital forensics. The findings shows that challenges related to smartphones are more frequently discussed than those to smartwatches. This may be due either to smartphones’ greater complexity or to limited research on smartwatches—the latter being more likely based on the volume of published work. This review provides a structured overview of the forensic landscape and identifies key gaps for future study.