The addition of a gyroscope sensor into the iPhone is one example of the device’s evolution, but the release of the iPhone 5s and Apple’s Touch ID sensor is probably one of the most exciting developments that we have seen for a while. As you might expect, the jailbreak community is extremely keen to take advantage of that hardware, with Elias Limneos earlier teasing a new Touch ID compatible tweak and now making it available for all to grab from Cydia.
Apple’s own usage of the Touch ID sensor is commendable, if only a first step. Allowing users to unlock the device and authenticate App Store purchases with biometric detection is definitely a step in the right direction in making the overall iOS experience a lot more secure. However, there are a very large set of users, myself included, who would love to see that detection extended to prevent unauthorized access to other aspects of the device. As one of the most respected developers in the jailbreak community, Elias has recognized this need and built the BioProtect tweak to limit who can and can’t launch installed apps from the home screen.
Installation and usage of the package is fairly simple. Attempting to launch an app will present a user-facing alert that requests a finger to be placed on the Touch ID sensor, otherwise known as the Home button on the iPhone 5s. The sensed finger is then cross-referenced against the saved prints on the Touch ID chip. If a positive match is found then the app is successfully launched. Conversely, if a match cannot be made then an error message is provided.
BioProtect is a package that we probably all expected to see the light of day, and also one that could be hugely useful in iPhone 5s owners with children or serious privacy concerns.
BioProtect is available as a $2.99 download from the BigBoss repository. Due to the nature of this particular package, it is currently only available to be used with a jailbroken iPhone 5s with Apple’s Touch ID sensor.
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