The iDevice community is still adjusting to the new iOS 7.1 software, and although the recently-dropped update isn't a landmark release by any stretch of the imagination, it's still the most significant bump that Apple has made since iOS 7.0 arrived back in September. As well as the more notable enhancements made to features like Siri and iTunes Radio - allied to the introduction of CarPlay - there have been several other minor tweaks applied, but in addition, there have also been one or two teething problems. Some iPhone 5s users, for example, have encountered troubles in using Touch ID, and if you're one of them, we've got a little tutorial to help you overcome them.
The Touch ID feature of the iPhone 5s has proved hugely successful so far. Sure, the introduction of the gold model of Apple's latest and greatest probably upstaged the new fingerprint sensor, but in offering better security while also adding to the perceived "cool" factor of the iconic handset, Touch ID has certainly gone down well. According to the guys over at AppleInsider, the Cupertino company is set to step up the feature's functionality by means of a forthcoming software update, which will render Touch ID better able to recognize fingerprints whilst also taking care of a "fade" issue that has hit some users.
Analysts are notoriously hit and miss when it comes to their predictions at the best of times, and that goes doubly so when you throw Apple and its wall of secrecy into the mix. That doesn't stop analyst upon analyst trying to guess and double-guess what the folks in Cupertino have up their collective sleeves, and it doesn't stop us from listening to them either. Which is fine, so long as their claims come with a healthy dose of salt.
Apple's latest and greatest smartphone, the iPhone 5s, has brought with it a host of new and exciting features. The A7 processor is backed up by 64-bit architecture, and with a dual-LED True Tone flash to accompany the improved rear-facing camera, the handset has been the subject of much acclaim. But aside from the gold model, which prompted an incredible response, the main talking point has been that mysterious Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Beefing up security, it has slotted into the iPhone repertoire rather nicely, but with the recent work of Evad3rs, what could the jailbreak community do with this new technology? Here, we survey some of the best Touch ID-related tweaks for the iPhone 5s.
As soon as iOS 7 was jailbroken, Cydia was opened up to the inevitable plethora of iPhone 5s-only tweaks. By that, we obviously mean tweaks that use the iPhone 5s's Touch ID fingerprint sensing system, and with it being such a prominent feature it was really only a matter of time before jailbreak developers started to use it in some interesting ways.
There's been a ton of innovative and exciting mobile and desktop apps and tools that have managed to attract a lot of initial attention before falling into obscurity. Remember Knock? The app that allows you to unlock your Mac without inputting a password? Sure, it still has a fair amount of satisfied users, but the hype around it seems to have quickly dissipated into nothing. The same affliction doesn't seem to be applied in equal measures to tweaks that are released into the jailbreak world, with hype already starting to build for BioUnlock, a tweak that hooks into the iPhone 5s Touch ID sensor to essentially offer the same functionality as Knock.
So sometimes we see jailbreak tweaks pop up that wow us immediately, and then sometimes we see tweaks that have us wondering why anyone would really use them beyond the initial novelty factor. Somehow, Touchy for iPhone 5s fits squarely into both of those categories, and with good reason.
When it turned out that all the rumors were true and Apple was indeed going to bring fingerprint technology to the iPhone, the immediate question was an obvious one; what exactly can and cannot be done with a fingerprint?
Touch ID is undoubtedly one of the most exciting hardware additions to be incorporated into iOS devices in recent times. Not only does the biometric sensor introduces a whole new level of security for users, but it also opens the door for a variety of innovative and extremely useful tweaks for jailbroken devices. With that said, it also allows developers to offer functionality that can be thought of as cosmetic rather than earth shattering or innovative, such as playing a chosen sound when the device is unlocked through the fingerprint sensor.
Apple's Touch ID sensor on the 64-bit iPhone 5s seems to be what is currently hot at the moment among Cydia developers, with a number of them taking the opportunity to release tweaks that rely on biometric authentication to perform specific tasks. Ryan Petrich, of Activator fame, is the latest to adopt current trends with the release of his BioLockdown package, available to download now.
