Apple’s next iPhone handset, reportedly arriving this autumn, will allow users to unlock the device using a biometric fingerprint scanner built into the device’s Home button, judging by the latest beta version of iOS 7.
According to information sent to 9to5Mac by developer Hamza Sood, the fourth beta release of iOS 7, which is only available to certified Apple devs, features a folder called ‘BiometricKitUI’.
That folder contains code seemingly confirming the next iPhone’s traditional Home button will be fitted with fingerprint sensor, and offers the first concrete evidence to back up the countless rumours over the last few months.
The code appears to show text relating to a visual tutorial for the new feature. The string reads: “Photo of a person holding an iPhone with their left hand while touching the Home button with their thumb.”
It then continues with: “a fingerprint that changes colour during the setup process,” before concluding with the text “recognition is complete.”
Rumours of an iPhone handset with a fingerprint sensor have intensified since the company bought the AuthenTec company last summer for a reported $356 million.
As AppleInsider reports, AuthenTec boasts of “semiconductor-based sensors are based on both capacitive and radio frequency (RF) technology that detects an image of the fingerprint ridge and valley pattern beneath the surface of the skin, thus capturing sharp and clear fingerprint patterns from the live layer.”
The company’s AES850 component is also dubbed “the world’s smallest authentication/navigation smart sensor in a durable package,” reportedly cabable, according to AppleInsider, of “supercharging” the iPhone’s Home button.
Could the inclusion of a biometric fingerprint sensor within the iPhone 5S finally bring a secure solution that would allow users to keep their device safe without the hassle of typing in a passcode every time they wish to pick up the device?
Let is know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
