I wouldn't assume this is explicitely to help LEO, but more because this is (AFAIK) the first time this is being trialed by Apple. 72 hours is a touch long, IMO (and based on some comments, it's not just me), but when your update touches millions of devices, it's also best to test thoroughly and have the first iteration be too long rather than too short.

It's easy to drop the 72 hours in a future update, or tie a shorter delay to (as I believe Apple calls it) Lockdown Mode - the more important thing might be to keep the "It just works" assumption most people (myself not included) seem to have vis-a-vis Apple products.

Notably, I assume it will never be user-configurable directly. Possibly through Lockdown Mode ("If enabled then shorter delay"), but I wouldn't count on Apple adding an explicit setting.

I’m assuming the ability to configure this will be added to Apple Configurator at some point.

Any savvy user can download it for free. I used it recently to create a profile for a friend I’m working with to configure their email account.

If you’re the tech person for your friends and family, Apple Configurator is quite handy: https://support.apple.com/guide/apple-configurator-mac/intro...

I’m betting it’ll be configurable via MDM.

No because 3 days is about the timeframe a phone would survive without recharging and without confusing the masses why things stopped working

It could just be for the user experience.

There are people I know especially older who don't use their phone every day.

A balance between security and giving law enforcement a reasonable window to act