After updating its smartphone to include a truly new an intuitive security system, Apple has revealed the details behind the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, the Wall Street Journal reported.
First, Apple addressed the chief concern and said in a statement that fingerprints will not actually be stored on the device, but rather "fingerprint data." That data will remain encrypted on the phone's processor.
Using the digital signature, instead of the actual fingerprint itself, users can unlock the phone and make purchases on iTunes, iBooks and the app store. Even the most advanced hackers who cracked the processor's encryption would not be able to reverse engineer someone's fingerprint from the chip.
Being that a lot of consumers are not familiar with fingerprint technology, although it has been around for some time, Apple took the initiative with basic concerns. At least for now, Apple is not allowing third-party companies to use its fingerprint scanner.
Users will also have to create a passcode as a backup to the Touch ID. If the phone is shut off or remains idle for more than 48 hours, it is the passcode that will unlock the phone, not a finger. A spokesman said this is a method to stop hackers who might try to stall for time while breaking through the Touch ID scanner.
The company spokesman said Apple sees its Touch ID scanner as an improvement on ones that already exist, but that it is not perfect.
The scanner will not work if a user's skin is oily or laden with a type of liquid. Tests also showed scars from accidents or surgery might have an effect for some, but in that case, another finger works just the same.
"Touch ID defines the next step of how you use your iPhone," Jonathan Ive, Apple's senior vice president of design, said at the launch event. "Making something as important as security so effortless and so simple."
