iPhone 7 could feature fingerprint-activated panic button
A patent filed by Apple has emerged detailing how its fingerprint Touch ID sensor could double up as a panic button when a specified finger is pressed to it
The iPhone's Touch ID sensor could soon act as a panic mode activator Photo: United States Patent and Trademark Office
By Rhiannon Williams
11:25AM GMT 06 Nov 2015
Apple may be planning to implement a 'panic button' function into future iPhone's Touch ID fingerprint sensor, according to a new patent.
The patent, filed in May 2014 and granted this week, reveals how the sensor could be used to activate a panic mode, which would make the handset's data inaccessible to the user.
The fingerprint sensor was first introduced with the iPhone 5s, primarily serving as a swift method of unlocking the phone and serving as identity verification when making purchases on iTunes, for example. It has since been built into the 6 and 6s iPhone generations, as well as recent iPad models.
The phone will still unlock once panic mode has been activated, which could be implemented in various ways, including disabling a certain set of functions on the phone, denying access to contact information, emails and photos, or activating the handset's camera or microphone to document who is trying to use it. The recordings could then be forwarded on to law enforcement under certain circumstances.
The basic premise behind the sensor Photo: United States Patent and Trademark Office
Another function explored is the transmission of an alert to an emergency service provider via a cellular network.
If panic mode activated a beacon setting, a nearby digital device such as a passer-by's phone or a computer in a car can be alerted via an alarm, prompting the owner to come to the activator's aid, the report said.
A more complicated chain of events in sending information to the authorities Photo: United States Patent and Trademark Office
The reason behind such a function, the patent explained, is phones' increasing value to prospective thieves, in terms of personal data and resale value of the handset itself.
Apple currently provides its customers to wipe their iOS devices remotely if they're lost or stolen through its Find My iPhone function, accessed through iCloud. Secondary feature Activation Lock was introduced with operating system iOS 7 once Find My iPhone had been set up, designed to make it harder for thieves to sell on or use your device once it's been stolen.
Chief executive Tim Cook has been extremely vocal on the issue of user privacy in the past, telling the Telegraph earlier this year it was a "human right".
“None of us should accept that the government or a company or anybody should have access to all of our private information," he said. "This is a basic human right. We all have a right to privacy. We shouldn't give it up. We shouldn't give in to scare-mongering or to people who fundamentally don’t understand the details.”
As ever, there is no guarantee features explored in patents will ever make it into future products. Many companies are in the practice of patenting certain functions or materials to actively prevent rivals from using the technologies.
