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iOS 11 Has a Feature To Temporarily Disable Touch ID (cultofmac.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the cop-button dept.

A new feature baked into iOS 11 lets you quickly disable Touch ID, which could come in handy if you're ever in a situation where someone (a cop) might force you to unlock your device. Cult of Mac reports: To temporarily disable Touch ID, you simply press the power button quickly five times. This presents you with the "Emergency SOS" option, which you can swipe to call the emergency services. It also prevents your iPhone from being unlocked without the passcode. Until now, there were other ways to temporarily disable Touch ID, but they weren't quick and simply. You either had to restart your iPhone, let it sit idle for a few days until Touch ID was temporarily disabled by itself, or scan the wrong finger several times. The police, or any government agency, cannot force you to hand over your iPhone's passcode. However, they can force you to unlock your device with your fingerprint. That doesn't work if your fingerprint scanner has been disabled.

5 of 138 comments (clear)

  1. Re:"Baked into" by Presence+Eternal · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Baked into" implies it's non-removable and non-optional. "Included with" implies it's optional. The terms are discrete and worth using.

  2. Re:"Baked into" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I wasn't aware that the standard well-understood phrase "baked in", that has been around far longer than I have been alive and doesn't come from cooking, is now "cool" and "hipster".

    Maybe it's time to stop worrying about hipsters hiding under your bed.

  3. what i find surprising by sad_ · · Score: 3, Insightful

    is that unlocking your phone with a password is considered different from using a fingerprint according to the law/police.

    --
    On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
    1. Re:what i find surprising by msauve · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "unlocking your phone with a password is considered different from using a fingerprint according to the law/police."

      A fingerprint is physical, like a key. The taking of fingerprints does not fall within the category of either communication or testimony so as to be protected by the Fifth Amendment privilege. United States v. Wade, supra.

      A PIN is knowledge, and protected.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  4. Re:"Baked into" by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Integrated" would be a less colloquial term and clearer and more transparent to a diverse audience.