Apple applied for a patent to change the authentication settings when you enter a location

Jul 3, 2014 22:49 GMT  ·  By

Logins and passwords are a thing of the past, Apple may soon announce. The tech giant from California applied for a patent with some innovative location-based security settings. 

 
The idea is simple, but its execution requires a great deal of advanced technologies. To put it in plain words, Apple wants your iPhone to be smart enough not to ask for your password when you are at home, but to automatically get locked when you're away. 
 
Apple filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The document, titled "Location-sensitive security levels and setting profiles based on detected location" goes in great detail on how the tech giant wants to go about doing that. 
 
The application explains that you can set the software and hardware once and then have the device dynamically adjust the security features. 
 
The location is not the only information your iDevice will use to determine its position. If GPS is not available, the device can use a home WiFI network, cellular tower data to triangulate its location or even other cellphones. In order for this system to work properly, the phone will ask for at least two systems to be in use. 
 
Apple also wants the device to learn specific patterns, so that it knows that you are about to do something. For example, if you are at home, the device may know that you want to download all your pictures taken during the day or download some updates. Just because you are using a known Wifi Network, you can set the device not to ask for passwords for each app as long as minimum requirements are met. 
 
If the phone detects that in the evening you are not at home, it may not apply the same security measures and wait some more before uploading your Photos to iCloud or Dropbox.
 
Also, apps that have sensitive or personal information like Contacts, Calendar or Mail will ask for an extra password when you are in a public place. 
 
Touch ID comes into play as well. When at home, the phone can be set not to ask for your passcode and while you are away, the passcode will be replaced by Touch ID so that only the user will be able to unlock the phone.  
 
Another great example is having a profile set for the car. The location is not important, but the proximity to other devices may step in. Your iPhone will be able to connect automatically to the car's Audio System and play a certain playlist. 
 
It's worth mentioning that Apple often files for patents and some of the features may never come to light or will be added several years later. These new security features may not be added to iOS until version 9, in 2015.