“A new patent application from Apple this morning reveals that they began working on new security features for “Find My iPhone” shortly after the first iteration was revealed back in 2009. The next generation security features are noted as being proactive in nature. The user will be able to preselect certain files to be protected in the event their device is lost or stolen and introduces ways of securely scrambling information instead of wiping it out to make retrieval easier,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.
“Apple’s patent application covers methods, program products, and systems for proactively securing mobile devices,” Purcher reports. “A mobile device could proactively determine whether the mobile device is associated with a security risk and the level of the security risk. Just as with Find My iPhone today, the user could remotely set a passcode lock and block an unauthorized user from activating the phone. What’s new here is that if multiple failed password setting attempts are detected, the mobile device could determine that the device is currently being operated by an unauthorized user, and could proactively increase a security level of the device.”
Much more in the full article, including Apple patent application illustrations, here.
[Attribution: 9to5Mac. Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
Does the Find my iPhone patent cover a feature where if you lose your phone it takes surreptitious pictures of the guy who stole your phone sitting in bed looking morosely at the camera?
Apple is trying to improve on securing your data if your iPhone is left in a … bar …. being that an Apple engineer could figure out that Gizmodo had his phone. That was a motivator for Apple to dream this up. Next up, electrocute unauthorized users. Mildly, of course.
Joke about Find my iPhone all you want. My iPad was stolen last Thursday. Wifi only version. After searching all over for it, I used Find my iPhone to lock it and put on a message t o return it to me, with my cell number.
Whoever took it evidently gave it to his girlfriend. At 10:30 on Monday she went somewhere where the iPad hopped on the wireless network, locked up, kicked up the call me message, and by 10:45 she called me. By 11 I had the iPad back.