TouchID
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New, thinner Macbook Pros will reportedly have an OLED touch bar
Barring a big change to the trackpad, Apple's high-powered MacBook Pro models haven't seen many major differences in recent years. That may be until now. According to 9to5Mac, which is citing both Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and its own sources, the next family of MacBook Pros (or MacBooks Pro) could not only be thinner and lighter, but may also house a new OLED display touch bar just above the keyboard. This would act in place of the narrow physical function keys found on contemporary MacBooks. Apple may also bring Touch ID into its next series of laptops.
OS X update could use the iPhone's Touch ID to unlock Macs
As we approach Apple's annual WWDC conference that starts on June 13th, the rumors about upcoming iOS and OS X features are sure to ramp up. This week, MacRumors is reporting that the company is working on a way for you to unlock a Mac using your iPhone's Touch ID feature. The security measure is said to bypass a typed log-in using Bluetooth when the phone is "in close proximity" to a computer running OS X. As MacRumors notes, there's a similar feature on the Apple Watch that allows an unlocked iPhone to provide access to the wearable without the need to enter a second password.
How Armenian gangsters blew up the fingerprint-password debate
Paytsar Bkhchadzhyan is a woman with a colorful past and a bummer of a present. She arrived this week in news stories with a string of criminal convictions and gained notoriety for pleading "no contest" to felony identity theft early this year. Her iPhone was seized from the home of her boyfriend, one Sevak Mesrobian, a member of Los Angeles-based gang Armenian Power. Her fingerprint then began its long journey to giving civil-liberties fetishists a new storyboard for their "bad touch" role-play scenes.
Judge orders woman to unlock iPhone with her fingerprint
It's still not perfectly clear whether or not law enforcement can force you to unlock your phone with your fingerprint, but an LA court isn't waiting to find out: for the first time in a federal case, a judge has ordered a person to unlock her smartphone using her digits. The FBI obtained a warrant requiring that identity theft suspect Paytsar Bkhchadzhyan unlock her iPhone through Touch ID just 45 minutes after her arrest. While it's not certain what the FBI was looking for, Bkhchadzhyan eventually pleaded no contest to the charge.
Apple iOS 9.3 update available today with 'Night Shift'
During its "Loop You In" event, Apple announced that iOS 9.3 will be available to all starting today, following a preview for developers. The new version of the operating system adds the color-temperature-changing Night Shift, along with Touch ID and password support for the Notes app. The News application also got some love with trending topics. Lastly, CarPlay has been updated with better Maps and an easier way to select music.
HSBC is rolling out biometric banking to 15 million customers
HSBC isn't the first to introduce biometric banking in the UK, but its rollout is set to become the biggest. The financial giant today announced plans to introduce voice-recognition technology for telephone banking, allowing more than 15 million customers to do away with memorable dates and places.
Apple says the iPhone-breaking Error 53 is a security measure
If you're an iPhone owner who hasn't had a run-in with the dreaded Error 53, consider yourself lucky. The error — which usually forces iPhones with replacement screens or home buttons into a boot loop after attempting a software update — was widely considered a bug until Apple cleared things up in with The Guardian earlier today.
Bank of America adds fingerprint logins to its Android and iOS apps
One of the most anticipated features arriving with Android's Marshmallow OS update is the new fingerprint reader capability. And while Marshmallow won't go live until the end of the year, a number of companies are already gearing up with fingerprint-enabled apps. Bank of America is one of them. The company announced on Tuesday (via its app update screens) that it has added fingerprint recognition for both Android and iOS' Touch ID to its mobile banking app. [Image Credit: Associated Press]
A survey of Apple's input innovations
With Force Touch rumored to arrive on the new iPhones next week, let's take a look back at some of Apple's other notable input methods. Cupertino has always offered a unique spin on the norm, whether it's a mouse with no buttons, multi-touch gestures or a trackpad for your desktop. The pressure-sensitive Force Touch tech that debuted earlier this year on the Apple Watch and new MacBook is just the latest in a line of input innovations from Apple, a collection that's sure to grow in the months to come. [Lead image credit: Janitors/Flickr]
Android fingerprint readers may be easier to hack than Touch ID
There's nothing like a Black Hat Security Conference to leave you feeling exposed and vulnerable. Today's compromise? Fingerprint readers. Security researchers Tao Wei and Yulong Zhang have exposed some pretty significant flaws in the Android fingerprint framework. The duo outlined a couple of different attacks -- including malware that can bypass fingerprint-authenticated payment systems and various backdoor attacks -- but the biggest offender was a "fingerprint sensor spying attack" that could remotely lift prints from affected phones. Researchers found the attack viable on both the HTC One Max and the Samsung Galaxy S5, but not on iPhone or other Touch ID devices.
Android M might have its own fingerprint login system
Android is getting a TouchID-style system of its own with Android M, according to Buzzfeed's sources. Apparently it'll act a lot like the iOS tool too, bypassing passwords for associated apps in favor of reading your fingerprint. Given that I/O is practically right around the corner (next week!) it shouldn't be long before this all gets confirmed -- Google hasn't responded to our request for comment just yet. [Image credit: Getty Images]
Apple's iOS 8.3 update breaks Touch ID purchasing for some users (updated)
If you haven't downloaded and installed iOS 8.3 yet, you might want to hold off for a bit first. Apple says the update packs that new emoji keyboard and a slew of performance fixes, but multiple reports on Reddit, Twitter and Apple's own support forums claim that the new software build basically breaks TouchID support for iTunes and App Store purchases. It's not yet clear how widespread the issue is -- Twitter in particular is light on the moaning today -- but we've just installed iOS 8.3 on a pair of iPhone 6s on different carriers and now neither of them work the way they're supposed to.
RBS and NatWest add Touch ID login to their banking apps
If you manage your personal finances from a smartphone, you'll be familiar with the tiresome verification procedures that banks use to double-check your identity. To make everything a little simpler, RBS and NatWest are introducing Touch ID support to their iOS banking apps tomorrow. So rather than punching in a long-winded passcode, you'll just need a fingerprint to log in to your account. The feature is entirely optional though, so if you're worried that Touch ID isn't quite secure enough to protect your lifelong savings, it can easily be disabled on your iPhone 5S, 6 or 6 Plus. More importantly, the BBC reports that some in-app features will still require additional verification and, similar to contactless credit and debit cards, there will be an upper limit for new payments. So even if a crafty crook copies your fingerprint, most of the app should remain under lock and key.
The Nexus 6 nearly had a fingerprint sensor in its dimple
Motorola's Nexus 6 almost had a fingerprint sensor, but Apple spoiled the idea. In an interview with UK newspaper The Telegraph, former CEO Dennis Woodside (who now leads Dropbox) reveals that the handset's dimple was supposed to play home to a discreet recessed sensor, but its supplier couldn't meet its quality demands. "Apple bought the best supplier," Woodside explains, "so the second-best supplier was the only one available to everyone else in the industry and they weren't there yet." At least Moto didn't just, y'know, throw one in anyway.
Google adds screen reader support to Docs, Sheets and Slides apps
Google's Docs, Sheets and Slides apps aren't easy to use on a phone's small screen at all, but this set of updates could make things just a bit more convenient for both iOS and Android users. Documents now come with real-time spell check, spreadsheets are now able to hide rows and columns, and presentations can lump similar shapes together. Even better, they all now work with Android TalkBack and iOS VoiceOver -- screen readers that will make the apps friendlier to the visually impaired -- though those who only need just a bit of help reading on a small screen can use the magnification tool instead. Finally, if you're using an iPhone or an iPad, you can start using your fingerprint to unlock the apps if you want to make sure no nosy workmate can get into your files. The updates are now rolling out for both mobile platforms and are now available on Google Play and iTunes. [image credit: shutterstock]
Take an 18-minute look at how to fool Touch ID with Tested and fake fingers
It's possible to fool Touch ID but, as we've been saying since it came out, it isn't easy. The folks at Tested were curious about new methods of fooling the sensor and set out to find the perfect tool, a fake finger to trick them all. Their end results prove our original findings, that fooling Touch ID is still an incredibly difficult prospect. Of course largely failing to bypass the system doesn't mean their efforts aren't incredibly interesting. Using photos, finger prints, silicon pressings, etching, and computers Tested shows exactly how much effort it takes to make even the most ineffectual solution to "hacking" Touch ID. Obviously we wouldn't be sharing this video with you if we thought it would actually teach you how to break into someone's phone. Rather this is merely a fascinating look at the science of testing out mobile security features, a gift for those of you who want to debunk your scared Uncle who believes Touch ID can be easy fooled. Enjoy.
Dropbox's iOS 8 app adds support for Touch ID
Not to be outdone by Microsoft's recent refresh of OneDrive, Dropbox has now made its iOS app compatible with Apple's fingerprint-scanning technology, Touch ID, as well. You'll need iOS 8 in order for the feature to work, but chances are you're already running the latest and greatest software from Apple anyway. Aside from adding the ability to unlock the application by way of Touch ID, Dropbox also updated it to support the bigger screens of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus -- something that owners of Apple's newest smartphones will definitely appreciate. Now someone tell Google to hurry and do the same for Drive.
Test code hints at future iPads with Touch ID and Apple Pay
There have been photos and vague rumors hinting that Apple's next iPads will involve more than just a speed bump, but there hasn't been much in the way of hard evidence... until today, that is. Hamza Sood has uncovered code in the iOS 8.1 developer beta that alludes to unannounced iPads with Touch ID fingerprint readers and, appropriately, Apple Pay support. Don't think that you'll be tapping your iPad to pay for goods at the local shop, however. From all indications, this is just for in-app transactions; there's no mention of NFC. It's also unclear when this new iOS version will arrive, although history suggests that the new iPads (and thus the finished 8.1 update) could surface in October.
Mint on iPhone can now use your fingerprint to keep banking info safe
You're going to see a lot of apps taking advantage of iOS 8's expanded Touch ID support in the near future, but one of the bigger improvements is already here. Mint has updated its iOS app to let you use your fingerprint to sign in rather than rely on a passcode. While it's a simple step, it means that you can quickly check all your finances on an iPhone 5s, 6 or 6 Plus without compromising security -- you can thwart data thieves with a tough-to-crack code that you'll rarely have to enter yourself. There's no doubt that this safeguard will spread to other financial titles in short order, but it's good to see that an app many use daily is already locked down tight.
Apple will let you log into other apps with Touch ID
Guess what folks! With iOS 8, Touch ID will finally be useful for something besides unlocking your phone and buying apps. During the big keynote at WWDC 2014, Apple announced the debut of an API for Touch ID. That means other apps will be able to use the fingerprint scanner on your iPhone for authentication. Your actual fingerprint data is still stored securely on the hardware, and is never actually exposed to developers. That means you could quickly and easily order a bombproof case for your precious phone just by holding your thumb across the home button and never worry that a bug in the Amazon app could expose your fingerprint to nefarious actors. That should relieve some of the pain associated with keeping all your various accounts secure -- which, as you've been told countless times, should all have unique passwords with a mixture of letters, numbers and special characters. Android users may have in-app access to LastPass, but simply scanning your thumbprint seems that much easier.
