Apple has now filed a patent in which the Touch ID feature puts the iPhone in a ‘Panic Mode’. As we all are aware, the fingerprint sensor on iPhones is used as a means to authenticate a user so as to allow secure access to sensitive information stored on a device.
The patent has been titled Fingerprint activation of a panic mode of operation for a mobile device, which according to Apple would allow a user to send secure sensitive information of his/her iPhone by simply unlocking the handset with a specific finger, which are different from the fingers he or she they would generally use to unlock their handsets.
Apart from this, the panic trigger performs other functions as well. For instance it could sound an alarm, activates a camera that discreetly captures photos and video that would send securely to a user’s iCloud account. In addition, the technology can also allow your iPhone to act as a beacon alerting emergency response providers such as police, fire department, medical responders, etc. Its functionality is pretty similar to Uber’s panic button and other safely apps, though Touch ID ‘Panic Mode’ will work just out-of-the-box.
“Panic mode, in particular, is designed to protect both user data and the mobile device from theft. In other implementations, the user may register particular fingerprints to be associated with different modes of operation and activate the different modes based on the particular fingerprints,” reads the patent.
The Cupertino giant will likely feature this technology in the forthcoming iPhone 7, rumors of which have already started floating around. The company is expected to unveil its next flagship in the third quarter and is expected to upgrade both the 4.
7-inch and 5.5-inch models to get overhauled with Apple’s latest A10 chipset. Though we can see differences in terms of RAM as the 4.7-inch iPhone is expected to get 2GB of RAM, while the 5.5-inch Plus variant likely to get 3GB of RAM.
