Will the Fingerprint Scanner make the iPhone 5S the Most Secure iPhone yet?

Many of us use our iPhone for almost everything. Social Media, emails, internet banking and perhaps online transactions. All of this means that at some point or other our personal information is being stored on our iPhone.

If your iPhone gets lost or stolen it is a huge inconvenience but at least Gadget Insurance can help protect you greatly against the financial implications and help to ensure that a working iPhone is returned in matter of days, allowing life to go on as usual. Protecting your personal information however is another matter all together. Taking into account the amount of personal data stored on your phone, financial implications and loss are not the only risks you may be exposed to should your iPhone get lost or stolen.

Despite these additional risks, Apple predicts that only half of all iPhone users take advantage of the current  pass code systems on their phone, meaning that around 50% of all iPhone users are leaving themselves exposed to identity theft, credit card fraud and far more. Not to mention the fact that an unlocked phone is also worth far more to a thief as it can easily be unblocked and sold on, meaning that it is a particularly attractive item to thieves.

Of course, pass codes can be inconvenient to enter every time you use your phone and there is the additional low risk of them being forgotten, which is perhaps why so many iPhone users seem to be reluctant to use this method of security. The great news however, is that the new iPhone 5S comes complete with a fingerprint scanner built into the phone’s home screen button, allowing users to unlock their iPhone simply by placing their fingerprint across the device. It is a feature that has excited many, yet been open to some criticism over how much additional security it actually provides.

Fingerprint scanning has been available to larger organisations for a while, and has already been used on some laptop devices. Military organisations, as an example, have opted out of using fingerprint scanning technology in favour of using alternative methods. The reason for this is that finger print scanning is not entirely fool proof. Fingerprints can be lifted and duplicated and depending on the software there may be the ability to scan fingerprints from pictures, thus being able to fool the technology into thinking a real finger print has been scanned.

Of course, it is hardly likely that the average iPhone thief is going to go to the effort to lift and duplicate your fingerprints to access your iPhone, so arguably the above shouldn’t stop you sleeping at night.

Also, if you opt to use the fingerprint scanner then you can still open the phone with a password, say Apple. This indicates that the fingerprint scanner is really an additional form of security rather than being designed to completely replace the need for pass codes all together.

With this in mind, an additional form of security surely can’t be a bad thing. For some, the fingerprint scanner may actually provide a real advantage. The average iPhone user won’t have the need for military type security, but there will be the additional guarantee of privacy. Many of us have come in contact with the kind of partner that takes a sneaky peak at text messages or emails and others have faced friends using their phones to send prank messages. A pass code can be difficult to hide from those you come within close proximity with, and therefore even people you are not keen on having access to your iPhone, could gain access. People are often inclined to share passcodes with loved ones and close friends, and this does unfortunately open them up to more risk. A fingerprint is impossible to share, meaning that people close to you will not have such easy access to your device.

The main benefit of the finger print scanner however has to be convenience. Even if it is more of a novelty rather than a hardcore security measure, it does come with a number of advantages. Unlike a passcode, a finger print can’t be gained from looking over your shoulder or guessed by someone who knows your potential codes (Birthday etc). Whilst it can be unlocked with a password, if users can ensure that this password is not easily guessed then there should be a small improvement in data security. This password can be more complex than an average pass code as it will not need to be entered on multiple occasions.

More importantly however, the novelty and convenience of the finger print scanner will hopefully encourage more than just 50% of all iPhone users to lock their phones. After all why would you upgrade to an iPhone 5S and not take advantage of one of the key features? With this in mind, the iPhone 5S fingerprint scanner and the right iPhone Insurance are pretty much the best measures you can take to ensure you are protected if the worst should happen.