Touch ID

Pages, Numbers and Keynote pick up new editing features, Touch ID support & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 27, 2017

Apple's productivity-focused iWork apps—Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and iCloud.com— were updated this morning with a bunch of new features, including new editing capabilities across iOS, macOS and the web and the ability to quickly open password-protected documents using Touch ID. Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iOS are available free from App Store.

Pages, Numbers and Keynote for Mac are available via Mac App Store. Web-based versions of these apps are accessible via a desktop web browser at iCloud.com.

This tweak prevents the passcode screen from appearing after every respring

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 21, 2017

Have you ever noticed that when you respring your jailbroken iOS 10 device, the passcode screen always appears after it boots back up?

A new free jailbreak tweak release called CanYouLikeNot by wizages prevents the passcode screen from appearing after every respring, which might be preferred on devices that are Touch ID-enabled.

LockGlyphX puts a nice twist on your Touch ID unlocking experience

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 4, 2017

If you’ve ever used Apple Pay before, then you’re likely familiar with the visually-appealing Touch ID animation that appears on the Lock screen when accessing it.

Now if you've ever thought to yourself that this animation would be nice to look at when unlocking your device, then a new free jailbreak tweak called LockGlyphX by evilgoldfish is just what you've been looking for.

DigiTimes: iPhone 8 with in-screen fingerprint sensor entering mass production in September

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 3, 2017

Rather than use one of the few readily available off-the-shelf fingerprint scanners that can be integrated into a smartphone display, Apple's iPhone 8 will sport biometric fingerprint recognition via a custom-designed sensor, also embedded into the display. In addition, according to DigiTimes' report Friday, the built-in fingerprint sensor inside iPhone 8 will replace Apple's capacitive-based Touch ID fingerprint reader, as previously rumored. The handset is expected to enter mass production in September, claimed industry sources cited in the report.

Apple granted yet another patent for in-screen fingerprint reader ahead of iPhone 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 28, 2017

Apple has been granted yet another patent for a fingerprint reader embedded underneath the display itself, a feature widely expected to debut on iPhone 8.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) this morning awarded the iPhone maker a patent for an “electronic device including finger biometric sensor carried by a touch display and related methods”. The company first applied for this patent on January 27, 2015.

KGI: iPhone 8’s FaceTime camera to support 3D sensing, AR, biometric authentication & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 21, 2017

We heard before that Apple might integrate augmented reality features into iPhone 8’s Camera app and now KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has provided fresh details about a “revolutionary” front-facing camera system that will “bring an innovative user experience” to Apple's first OLED iPhone.

In a note to clients, obtained by AppleInsider, the analyst writes that a pair of infrared transmitting and receiving sensors on the FaceTime camera will help the next iPhone provide features ranging from 3D sensing and modeling to advanced biometric authentication combining facial scanning and Touch ID fingerprint recognition.

iPhone 8 concept imagines rumored “function area” replacing Touch ID and Home button

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 15, 2017

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, along with other analysts, told clients that iPhone 8 would most likely feature a 5.8-inch OLED screen with an active display area of 5.1 inches.

It's now becoming clear that Apple's upcoming handset will probably adopt an almost bezel-less full-screen front face design by ditching the physical Home and Touch ID button.

Its function would be supplanted by a set of dynamic virtual controls sitting in a new “function area” at the bottom of the display. That, in turn, would allow for a range of time-saving shortcuts without degrading the experience, as evidenced in a batch of nicely done renderings created by a MacRumors Forum member “deuxani”.

How iPhone 8’s rumored biometric facial scanning could supplant Touch ID

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 23, 2017

Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities predicted that iPhone 8 would supplant Touch ID with advanced sensors capable of recognizing one's face with very high accuracy. JPMorgan analyst Rod Hall corroborated Kuo's report, speculating that facial recognition would utilize a front-facing 3D sensor.

For many people, this has been one of the tougher iPhone 8 rumors to swallow. For starters, how would iPhone 8 authenticate the user in the middle of the night? Or in complete darkness? Touch ID lets you unlock your iPhone without looking whereas facial recognition would require you to face the sensor, a major inconvenience.

A few reports have attempted to shed some light on the subject, explaining the basics of 3D motion and object scanning and how Apple might leverage 3D sensors in iPhone 8.

FingerTouch lets you assign gestures to the Touch ID sensor

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 10, 2017

Lots of jailbroken iPhone owners will tell you that it’s never a bad idea to have more gestures. After all, that’s the whole basis behind the popular Activator extension, which gives you more ways to interact with your device to perform actions.

A new free jailbreak tweak dubbed FingerTouch by Michele Primavera, on the other hand, makes use of the same Touch ID sensor that you use every single day to unlock your device and make App Store purchases to create even more gestures.

CRSettings lets you apply an image background to the Reachability view

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 10, 2017

I feel like Reachability is a must-have feature on any 5.5-inch display, but Apple really just wastes all that space at the top of the screen by not using it for anything.

A new free jailbreak tweak called CRSettings by ChanYu makes use of the empty space in a particularly fun way by filling it with a background image of your choice.

KGI: iPhone 8 may supplant Touch ID with optical fingerprint & facial recognition sensors

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 21, 2017

iPhone 8 is widely expected to become Apple's first full-face handset as the company is rumored to have devised ways of integrating Touch ID into the display assembly. A research note by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, claims iPhone 8 may sport a new biometric identification technology that would supplant the good ol' Touch ID system and make possible iPhone 8's rumored zero-bezel design.

Bring your padlocks up to the 21st century with the Dog & Bone LockSmart Mini

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated August 30, 2023

Chances are you have a thing or two that you like to keep locked away with a padlock of some sort.

Whether you need it for a locker at school or work, or to keep a gate or shed closed at home, you can bring your padlocks up to the 21st century with the Dog and Bone LockSmart Mini, which utilizes wireless Bluetooth connectivity so you can unlock the padlock with your smartphone.