No, that wasn’t a typo. There’s a new jailbreak tweak available on Cydia that allows you to fake the functionality of a fingerprint scanner on your iOS 7 device. Geared towards folks without a Touch ID enabled device like the iPhone 5s, this tweak does its best to fake the security benefits of a fingerprint scanner.
If only it were possible to actually fake the security of the Touch ID sensor. Spoiler: it’s not. And as such, this tweak, ironically entitled Bio, falls squarely into the mix with other “joke” jailbreak tweaks used for comedic effect. Have a look at our video walkthrough after the jump to see Bio in action.
Bio, once installed, places a new preference panel in the stock Settings app with a plethora of different toggles and settings to adjust. Many of the preferences have to do with the look of the tweak, for example, shape, or color of the fingerprint scanner surface.
Once you have Bio enabled and configured to your liking, lock your device, and you should see the fingerprint scanning surface appear on your Lock screen. Placing any finger on the scanning surface will cause a line to go back and forth over the surface to emulate a scan. Eventually, your device will be unlocked if you have the passcode disabled, which you’ll need to do to successfully pull off the effect.
If you’re not cool with the lack of true security present when using this tweak without a passcode, there are some secret options that you can enable in the tweak’s preferences to help. For instance, you can enable the mute switch secret option to force users to toggle the mute switch before a device will be successfully unlocked. It’s an insecure workaround, but it helps pull off the effect when demonstrating it to friends.
If you go into Bio with the idea that the effect is a novelty for show, you’ll come out ahead in the end. Just don’t head into purchasing this tweak thinking it will some how miraculously add Touch ID to you device.
Bio is available right now on Cydia’s BigBoss repo for $1.99. Again, this is a steep price for what is nothing more than a novelty, but some of you may deem it a bargain for the novelty aspect, and the reaction that it will garner from unsuspecting friends. What do you think?