When Apple introduced Touch ID with the iPhone 5S, the world was divided into two camps. One thought it was useful, the other just saw it as a gimmick. However, not a single person (other than those at Apple, of course) could have predicted its massive success. Looking back now, the choice seems very simple. Touch ID not only improves the security of your iPhone, but also makes it much easier to unlock your phone. It’s this golden mix that makes Touch ID a no-brainer these days. Now, every high-end smartphone is expected to include one or another form of biometric authentication. With the latest version of iOS 11, Apple takes its usefulness to the next level by allowing you to easily disable Touch ID on your iPhone temporarily.
This statement may seem counterintuitive at first, but it actually isn’t. In today’s article, we will tell you all about it. We will learn why this feature should have been included from the very beginning and why it is now more mandatory than ever. Finally, we will teach you how to use this feature to temporarily disable Touch ID in iOS 11.
Understanding the Need to Disable Touch ID
There is no denying the fact that Touch ID is a very secure and useful feature, but sometimes you may need to disable it temporarily. Here is a simple script you might need. Let’s say you pass out due to negative health problems or any external factor. Now that you’re in the open, anyone can grab your iPhone and unlock it using your finger. Or you may be in such a situation that someone can physically force you to unlock your iPhone.
If this seems impossible to you, you should understand that it doesn’t have to be that extreme. It can be as simple as a sibling trying to hack into your phone while you’re asleep. All of a sudden the Touch ID feature doesn’t sound very secure, does it? If you consider these scenarios, you can see why a simple and quick way to disable Touch ID is really necessary.
Why The Need Is More Urgent Now
It would be nice to see this feature with the launch of Touch ID, but its importance will increase exponentially with the launch of new iPhones in the coming months. If you’ve been following the latest leaks and rumors about the launch of new iPhones, you might know that it has been confirmed that the next-gen iPhones will feature an edge-to-edge display with a digital home button. Now, Apple will replace Touch ID with a new biometric authentication called Face ID, as the technology to place the fingerprint sensor under the screen is still tricky.
Rumors confirmed almost everything. New iPhones will carry infrared sensors to help you unlock your iPhone with your face. Now with this feature activated, people won’t even need to force you to unlock your iPhone, they can just point it at your face and it will be unlocked automatically. For this reason alone, the ability to temporarily disable Touch ID (or Face ID) is essential. I’m glad to see Apple take a preventative step in this situation.
Temporarily Disable Touch ID in iOS 11
Now that we clearly understand the importance of temporarily disabling the Touch ID feature, let’s move on to how to use it. Aspect this feature was introduced with the latest version of iOS 11 developer beta (version 6), you should update your iPhone before trying it. One thing to note here, in my tests, feature not working in public beta while writing this article. If you don’t want to run the beta, you’ll have to wait for the final public release of iOS 11. Conversely, if you want to try it, we have a very good tutorial covering the same topic.
1. The first step is to make sure: you are on the latest (6th) version of the developer beta. To do this, go to: Settings->General->Software Update and check for any updates. If there are no updates, you’re good to go. However, if you do, you need to update your device.
2. Now lock your device and start SOS protocol. If you don’t know how to do this, Just press the power button 5 times quickly.
3. You don’t have to choose any of the options here. Just tap the cross button to exit SOS. Now, if you try to unlock the phone with Touch ID, you will see that your iPhone is asking for a PIN.
SEE ALSO: How to Disable High Efficiency Image Format in iOS 11
Temporarily Disable Touch ID to Keep Your iPhone Safe
Now that you understand the usage scenarios for Touch ID deactivation, do you think this is important to you? For me I think this is a very important feature, one I missed on Day 1. I hope this feature reaches the final version of iOS 11. Considering the switch to Face ID with the iPhone 8, this feature is likely to stay in the final version. However, nothing can be sure as the developer beta is always a place to test new features, and they all don’t make the final cut. Do you want this feature in iOS 11? Let us know your thoughts on the subject in the comment section below.
