Apple Patent Application for Intelligent Location-Based Security

I typically don’t pay much attention to patent applications, and my advice has long been that we should not assume that everything Apple tries to patent will eventually come to market as shipping features. Apple, like most major tech companies, patents anything patentable. Apple decidedly does not ship everything shippable.

But this one is worthy of an exception. Location-based security for iOS has long been a hobby horse of mine. This patent describes a system that sounds exactly like what I’ve longed for: the ability to have my iOS devices turn on without a passcode while inside my home, but require a passcode or TouchID anywhere else.

Update: “Personal Unlocking”, a new feature coming in Android L, enables this same sort of thing.

★ Thursday, 3 July 2014