Apple has announced that it is opening up its Touch ID fingerprint sensor to third-party developers. Reportedly years in the making, the all-new Touch ID API is available to registered iOS developers, making it easy to integrate Apple's seamless fingerprint reading functionality into their apps without compromising Touch ID's strong security...
Back in April, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo gave us a roadmap of all the products Apple has in the pipeline for 2014 and now he's back with an analysis of Apple's plans for the Touch ID sensor.
His conjecture is that every new iPhone and iPad model shipping in 2014 will be outfitted with an improved Touch ID fingerprint reader.
Kuo has become one of the most reputable Apple analyst analysts out there who churns out some of the most reliable predictions about Apple's future product plans so it's worth paying attention to what he has to say...
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's top semiconductor foundry, has reportedly shipped the first batch of the second-generation Touch ID sensors to Apple for use in the upcoming second-generation iPad Air, third-generation iPad mini and of course iPhone 6.
As iDownloadBlog exclusively reported earlier this month, code fragments in iOS 7.1 indicate that Touch ID is coming to iPads, possibly this year and to other iOS devices as well, a discovery further corroborated by previous supply chain reports...
There's hardly any doubt at this point that Apple will roll out its Touch ID fingerprint reader to all iOS devices sooner than later. As you know, the sophisticated fingerprint sensor debuted last September as an iPhone 5s exclusive and is based on technologies from Israeli startup AuthenTec that got acquired by Apple for the reported $356 million in the summer of 2012.
While Apple was originally rumored to bring fingerprint-scanning to its tablet lineup, its manufacturing partner TSMC was unable to build enough of the sensors for the iPhone 5s alone, causing handset shortages after the launch.
Notable mentions of Touch ID for the iPad have been discovered in the iOS code, indicating an upcoming iPad hardware refresh might include the fingerprint sensor. It's worth pointing out that iOS code frequently contains placeholders and hooks for unreleased features that never see the light of day. This is not the first time Apple's code references Touch ID for iPads but we felt you should know about this...
Apple has just released iOS 7.1.1 for public consumption. A maintenance update, iOS 7.1.1 contains "improvements, bug fixes and security updates." Specifically, it makes Touch ID even more reliable than the previous iOS 7.1 update, while fixing a pair of bugs related to keyboard responsiveness and Bluetooth keyboards with VoiceOver enabled.
It's arrived just five days after iOS 7.1.1 devices located in and around Apple's Cupertino campus started exposing themselves in web logs.
Needless to say, those of you who rock a jailbroken iPhone, iPod touch or iPad are advised to hold off on upgrading to the new software until we're able to confirm it won't break your jailbreak...
Rounding out our coverage of Ming-Chi Kuo's lengthy report on 2014 Apple products last night, we have the iPad. We've already discussed the analyst's predictions for the iWatch and iPhone, and now it's time to take a look at his prophecies for Apple's next-gen tablets.
According to Kuo, the Cupertino company is planning on launching a second generation iPad Air this year alongside a new Retina iPad mini. He says that both slates will feature new A8 processors, and will finally receive Home buttons outfitted with Touch ID technology...
Following the debut of the iPhone 5s and its Touch ID fingerprint scanner in October last year, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S5 with its own fingerprint recognition tech. The handset was unveiled last month, and is slated to launch for major carriers on April 11.
The two scanners are quite different, with Touch ID requiring a press-and-hold action and Samsung's solution more of a swiping motion, but they essentially serve the same purpose. So we thought this new video comparing the two of them was worth a look...
Asphaleia—the stylish new Touch ID-based jailbreak tweak that we showed you last Friday—is now available for download on Cydia. The tweak, which is a3tweaks' response to other releases like BioProtect, BioLockdown, and AppLocker, puts an intelligently designed spin on Touch ID security.
Asphaleia works with any iOS 7 capable device, though, not just the Touch ID enabled iPhone 5s. It's a tweak that brings tons of new security features to both the iPhone 5s, and other iOS 7 enabled devices. Best of all, Asphaleia comes with a 50% discount if you've purchased any of the aforementioned security tweaks in the past. Check after the break for our full video walkthrough of Asphaleia in action.
Apple two days ago released its iOS 7.1 software update containing a host of bug fixes, performance improvements and a couple new features.
Among the enhancements: better Touch ID accuracy and reliability. For the vast majority of iPhone 5s owners, Touch ID indeed seems to be working better and faster after upgrading to iOS 7.1.
On the other hand, a growing thread on Apple's support forums clearly indicates that a subset of iPhone 5s owners could be plagued with various issues with the sensor.
The hiccups vary from Touch ID not working at all or functioning only sporadically to having difficulty producing a match, saved prints in iOS Settings > Touch ID & Password mysteriously disappearing and more.
And how's Touch ID for you in iOS 7.1?
There's no shortage of Touch ID enabled security tweaks for iOS 7. There's AppLocker, BioProtect, and my favorite, BioLockdown from Ryan Petrich. So the question is, do we need another entry into what has become an increasingly crowded market? If the team behind the release is a3tweaks, then the answer to that question is an emphatic yes.
Unlike the majority of the other releases in the a3tweaks' repertoire, Asphaleia is extremely deep with tons of options. Sentry, the tweak's designer, isn't known for throwing a bunch of unnecessary features into his work with no purpose in mind. Instead, he reasoned that a security tweak like this made it necessary to have enough options to a). keep it secure, and b). give users the options that they need. It's a strategy that, for the most part at least, has paid off reasonably well.
If you're looking for an alternative to any of the aforementioned security tweaks—AppLocker, BioProtect, or BioLockdown—then Asphaleia is a release you should definitely check for upon its impending launch. Have a look at our full 10+ minute video walkthrough, as we break down all that the highly anticipated release has to offer.
As cool as the fingerprint reader is on the iPhone 5s, it's not perfect. We have, on several occasions, complained about the accuracy of Touch ID seemingly 'fading' over time, and a number of 5s owners have turned out to Apple's support forums to voice their disdain as well.
Luckily, it sounds like there may be light at the end of the tunnel. AppleInsider is reporting this morning that the Cupertino company is currently preparing a software update that will improve the fingerprint recognition experience of Touch ID, and possibly fix the 'fade' issue...
We know quite a lot about the iPhone 5s's fingerprint scanner, Touch ID. The advanced sensor works seamlessly and learns more about your prints over time so it continues to expand your fingerprint map as additional overlapping nodes are identified with each use.
It can match prints in any orientation, unless your fingers are greasy or wet, or there's some dirt or debris on the Home button. There's a 1 in 50,000 chance of a successful random match with someone else’s print, which is much better than the 1 in 10,000 odds of guessing a typical four-digit passcode.
The Touch ID sensor doesn't store actual fingerprint images and instead creates an encrypted profile of your print and stores it on a module on the A7 processor called the Secure Enclave that's walled off from the rest of the system.
After five unsuccessful fingerprint match attempts, or after every restart, the system asks for your passcode so that hackers can’t stall for time. These are pretty much key pieces of information on Touch ID that was made public since its inception.
Today, Apple updated its iOS Security white paper [PDF download] with a few previously unknown specifics relating to how Touch ID works side by side with the A7 chip and its Secure Enclave portion to detect a fingerprint match in a highly secure manner. The document also details other security safeguards Apple put in place to prevent tampering with fingerprint data...