Recognize Your iPhone 4? Your iPhone 5 May Recognize You!

[Michael Essany]

In what could be a futuristic development for future iPhones (and iPads and iPods as well), this week the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shed light on something Apple may be tinkering with. A patent application out of Cupertino suggests that Apple wants future iDevice to recognize and react to individual users.

Simply put, the iDevices could be "taught" to identify a user based on their appearance, detected heartbeat, or sound of their voice (like voice activation). The patent in question shows that Apple is enamored of "Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device." Ultimately, the recognition features would be of a security nature, possibly preventing unauthorized users from using an iPhone, iPad, or iPod that isn't theirs - one that contains sensitive personal information. "The photograph, recording, or heartbeat can be compared, respectively, to a photograph, recording or heartbeat of authorized users of the electronic device to determine whether they match," the patent application reveals. "If they do not match, the current user can be detected as an unauthorized user."

From Computerworld:

If you've been wondering what to expect from iPhone 5, the next-generation, beyond an all-new and improved antenna, then let me share a few ideas with you -- your iPhone will be your wallet, your house keys, your identity, the center of your mobile existence. At least, that's how it appears on news of Apple's hiring of near field communications (NFC) expert Benjamin Vigier.

The patent application, which could very well point to many of the key security attributes of the iPhone 5, also suggests that if an "unauthorized" individual attempts to access the iDevice, the intruder will be quietly tattled on via an email, text, or phone message (from the iPhone) to the police with detailed information as to the device's current location.

Interestingly, should this technology be implemented, it would also make it possible to prevent unauthorized users from tinkering with the handset in ways that our community knows a thing or two about - specifically, jailbreaking and hacking the iPhone. Come to think of it, I guess this sort of thing might be the only way Apple can prevent all of its floor model iDevices from getting jailbroken at Apple Stores.


Computerworld
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

[ZipZapp]

Gee that's clear from the picture.

[Nick Hesson]

Big brother would love this

[romeoz]

Come to think of it, I guess this sort of thing might be the only way Apple can prevent all of its floor model iDevices from getting jailbroken at Apple Stores.

Actually this wont stop anything like that..the models at Apple and Att Stores would have to disable this feature becuase why would anyone go there to try out their stuff if they cant get on it

[ro0oney]

diagram says it all

[tudtran]

Damn it I want an iphone 5.

[wolverinemarky]

lol this would be pretty cool to retina scan u to access your retina display

[Luigi453]

Just More components that can break.

[adp]

In Soviet Russia, iPhone 5 jailbreaks you

[dq13]

wow... this is like awesome... only authorized users so no one can get into your stuff... it's brilliant, like to put a passcode on the phone so only "authorized users" have the code and can use it...

oh wait, we already have that... so what's the point of this?

[thekid05]

In Soviet Russia, iPhone 5 jailbreaks you

Lmfao!

[carolinamic]

As long as it's not a 30 sec process to unlock my phone everytime it goes into sleep mode I think that it will be pretty cool. Also I want be buying the first batch of ip5's if this a feature bc they (apple) couldn't even get the proximity sensor to work right on the ip4.

[sal_osx]

Big brother would love this

Seriously bro. They might as well brand us and tag us like animals.

[hitman10]

I'd have fun with it, but i have a finger printer scanner on my HP and truly i never use it. I could care less, the only reason i have that working is so my friends and family can use it. Gave them each a finger to use and yeah.

[Zeal]

Useless.. Yes?

COOL?... YES.


Needed? No...............

[havoc0351]

It's going to take even longer now to access your iPhone versus using the passcodes we use now. Don't get me wrong this is pretty interesting and cool but yet a little ridiculous.

I can see it now, "iPhone 6 now requires a blood, urine and tissue sample along with 2 forms of government ID and a blood relative to confirm your identity!"
Apple slogan, "I think your s*** is safe now... give us your money!"

[Eddie3GS]

Quote " I guess this sort of thing might be the only way Apple can prevent all of its floor model iDevices from getting jailbroken at Apple Stores."

Correct if I am wrong but this is not correct. IOS 4.02 and Ipad 3.2.2 can not be jailbreaked therefore apple only needs to update the firmware if they did not do it already!

[macsoldier]

All this security for the iPhone 5 seems that the iPhone 5 may have something a little more to offer that all the other iPhones.

[havoc0351]

Correct if I am wrong but this is not correct. IOS 4.02 and Ipad 3.2.2 can not be jailbreaked therefore apple only needs to update the firmware if they did not do it already!

I'm sure they already updated the firmware since people were going into Apple stores and JB iPhones all day long. However, iOS 4.0.2 and 3.2.2 can not be JB the same way that iOS 4.0.1 was but I'm sure they could be JB the same way all other previous versions were. That's if a JB for iOS 4.0.2 and 3.2.2 does come out, which I doubt. There is no need since there is no substantial fixes that you don't already get by JB.

Waiting for iOS 4.1 and JB....

[Shishir G]

you morons, yes this is needed, if this is successful think of what it could do to change the whole mobile industry, apple no doubt is #1 in tech right now. Microsoft, your just falling down.

Quote " I guess this sort of thing might be the only way Apple can prevent all of its floor model iDevices from getting jailbroken at Apple Stores."

Correct if I am wrong but this is not correct. IOS 4.02 and Ipad 3.2.2 can not be jailbreaked therefore apple only needs to update the firmware if they did not do it already!

Oh and did you know there's more than just 1 bug in the firmware? Comex has already said there's plenty, and yeah....