Touch ID

AppLocker: Secure individual apps with Touch ID

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 3, 2014

A beta build of a new jailbreak tweak with a highly anticipated premise landed in my email inbox late this afternoon, and it's marvelous. AppLocker is a jailbreak tweak that has existed for quite some time, but its beta build was just recently updated to include Touch ID support for locking individual apps.

After trying the Touch ID implementation on my jailbroken iPhone 5s, I can happily report that it works just as well as I imagined. Unlocking is brisk, and seamless. The Touch ID support works with the fingerprints that you already have assigned during the Touch ID initial setup, so there's not a lot of cumbersome configuration to be had with AppLocker.

But enough talking. You have to see how AppLocker works for yourself. Check out our exclusive hands-on video after the break.

How to use Activator with Touch ID

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 3, 2014

A couple of days ago, we told you about Virtual Home–a brand new jailbreak tweak that allowed users to simulate a press of the Home button using Touch ID enabled hardware. Virtual Home was one of the first jailbreak tweaks that modified the behavior of the iPhone 5s' Touch ID sensor, and because of that, it proved to be very popular among jailbreakers.

Adding to the popularity of Touch ID tweaks is a recent update to Ryan Petrich's Activator—an absolute staple of a jailbreak tool that all users should have installed from day one. Petrich's latest 1.8.3 update brings support for a single press of the Touch ID sensor.

But Activator goes far beyond the scope of Virtual Home, because you can, in theory at least, assign any Activator action to a Touch ID gesture. Have a look inside to see how it works.

Virtual Home: an amazing Touch ID jailbreak tweak

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 1, 2014

Prior to the iOS 7 jailbreak being released, I think pretty much everyone imagined some of the cool things that would be able to be accomplished by tweaking the iPhone 5s' Touch ID sensor. As of today, we no longer have to imagine any more.

Virtual Home is one of the first Touch ID based jailbreak tweaks available on the iPhone 5s, and it's awesome. See our full video walkthrough inside.

Jailbreak developer Elias Limneos teases upcoming Touch ID tweak

Cody Lee ∙ December 27, 2013

Jailbreak developer Elias Limneos—best known for his work on popular tweaks like SBRotator and CallBar—just answered the question a lot of folks have had on their minds since they found out a jailbreak was out for iOS 7 and the iPhone 5s: will there be Touch ID tweaks?

And the answer is yes. Limneos tweeted out a link to a new YouTube video this morning that teases an upcoming tweak for the iPhone 5s. Not much can be gleaned from the short clip, but it looks like it allows you to protect individual apps with Touch ID authentication...

San Francisco DA wants Apple to enable Activation Lock by default on all iPhones

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón released survey results yesterday that he says makes an argument for Apple to enable its Activation Lock security feature on all iPhones. The DA has been publicly leading the charge for a solution to rising cell phone thefts.

Gascón's survey indicated that 78% of respondents who owned an iPhone have enabled the security feature, and according to him, that's a clear sign that Apple should begin enabling this tech on all of its phones as a standard. He believes that it should be completely 'opt out.'

Some users finding Touch ID’s accuracy fades with time

Cody Lee ∙ December 5, 2013

Over the past several weeks, I've noticed that the accuracy of the Touch ID feature on my iPhone 5s has been slowly getting worse. Where the sensor used to recognize my registered fingerprint(s) almost instantly, it now takes two or three tries.

And it looks like I'm not the only one with this issue. A number of users have come forward reporting similar accuracy problems, and of course there's [several] lengthy Apple support threads full of folks complaining. So, is Touch ID going bad?

LifeProof launches new Touch ID-compatible, waterproof iPhone 5s case

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Hot on the heels of Incipio's announcement of its new waterproof, Touch ID-friendly Atlas iPhone 5s case, LifeProof has unveiled a new 5s case of its own. It too is waterproof, and 100% compatible with Touch ID.

It's called the iPhone 5s nüüd Case, and LifeProof bills it as the "thinnest, lightest, all-protective iPhone 5s case ever made." It's fully submersible up to 6.6 feet, and is capable of surviving drops from up to 6.6 feet...

Incipio introduces new Touch ID-friendly, waterproof iPhone 5s case

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 24, 2017

Popular accessory-maker Incipio announced a new version of its Atlas iPhone case yesterday, called the Atlas ID. As the name suggests, the case is Touch ID-friendly and it provides the same protection from water and other elements as the previous Atlas model.

This is fairly significant, as there aren't many waterproof cases available for the iPhone 5s that work with the handset's built-in fingerprint reader. Most element-proof offerings cover the Home button completely, rendering the Touch ID feature effectively unusable...

Apple could enhance Touch ID with trackpad capabilities, embed sensor right into display

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 25, 2013

Last week, Patently Apple shed light on an Apple patent filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office which covers the various aspects of its Touch ID fingerprint scanner, a new feature exclusive to the iPhone 5s.

The invention is entitled Capacitive Sensor Packaging and details collapsing the full fingerprint maps into a hashed, encrypted data securely stored on the A7 chip's Secure Enclave. It's curious that the patent's main inventor, Wayne Westerman, developed Multi-Touch technology at Fingerworks, a startup Apple snapped up in 2005.

In another massive 612-page patent application Apple filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization in May 2013, the iPhone maker indicates it's been researching mobile screens with Touch ID embedded, along with trackpad capabilities allowing for panning of on-screen content by moving your finger over the Touch ID Home button...

Legit shots of gold iPad mini 2 with Touch ID or an elaborate hoax?

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 21, 2013

Today, the Wall Street Journal has come to the rescue establishing there'll be a Retina iPad mini tomorrow. Thank God for that - otherwise we'd be left in the dark. As for yours truly, I've had a great time watching some of the respondents in our non-scientific poll go from the previous 'no Retina = no buy' to the newest 'no Touch ID = no buy' complaint.

Ming Chi-Kuo's last-minute predictions have only added fuel to the fire by shooting down the gold colorway and Touch ID upgrades for both new iPads, the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2. Of course, not all of this particular analyst's magic tricks work out as he plans.

For starters, we've previously seen high-resolution photographs of purported iPad mini 2 and iPad 5 shells in Space Grey so there could easily be a gold colorway in the pipeline. Let's also not forget about Chinese sources that have recently leaked out an iPad mini front part with a Touch ID Home button - our strongest indications to date of Apple adopting fingerprint reading as standard across the board.

For doubting Thomas' out there, here's another last-minute leak claiming to represent a nearly-assembled iPad mini 2 in gold - and yes, proudly sporting the sophisticated Touch ID thingie...

Meet FingerLoc, AuthenTec’s bulky and unreliable Touch ID predecessor

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 16, 2013

After Apple had snapped up AuthenTec, an Israel-based NFC and smart sensor maker, for about $400 million in the summer of 2012, speculation abounded as puzzled pundits couldn't envision Touch ID coming. Shortly after, Apple told AuthenTec's clients such as Samsung to buy their sensors elsewhere.

It also shuttered the startup's Embedded Security Solutions division while tasking AuthenTec engineers with rethinking fingerprint scanning on mobile. The results were nothing short of amazing: Apple has managed to take competition by surprise by seamlessly integrating the sophisticated Touch ID sensor into the iconic Home button, a far cry from the unreliable solutions that require you to swipe the sensor.

One publication was lucky enough to have been invited to a private presentation of an early Touch ID prototype by the AuthenTec co-founder F. Scott Moody...

HTC’s new ‘One max’ with fingerprint sensor launches to poor reviews

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

It was bound to happen. You knew that once the iPhone 5s debuted with a fingerprint sensor, other manufacturers would follow suit. No, Apple wasn't the first to implement such a feature, but it has a way of mainstreaming stuff like this.

Today, HTC unveiled the 'HTC One max,' a 5.9-inch smartphone that includes a dedicated fingerprint sensor. Located on the rear of the device, the feature is activated via a swipe and can be programmed to recognize 3 different fingers...