14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has developed a new method that allows iPhone users to call the emergency services without anyone noticing it, which is very useful especially in those cases when an attacker or assailant is watching.
Specifically, a patent that was published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office this week reveals that Apple can enable a new feature on iPhones that would allow users to call 911 (or corresponding emergency services in other countries, like 112 in Europe) with a sequence of fingerprints or a specific pressure applied on the sensor.
As CNN reports, this particular method can be used when a conventional method to dial 911 is not possible, such as a hostage situation or when an attacker sees the device.
Apple says this method can be further enhanced with other functionality, including features that would not show anything on the screen when dialing 911 and even providing audio and video footage to the operator. Using data sent by the iPhone, the 911 operator would know this is a special emergency call and be able to analyze the data.
A successor to the SOS feature on the Apple Watch
As a result, the iPhone owner can look like he unlocks his device with a sequence of fingerprints, but in reality, he alerts law enforcement without the attacker knowing it.
As with every other patent that Apple or a different company files, there’s no confirmation that such a technology could ever make it to the market, though in the case of the Cupertino company this makes more sense.
Apple has recently introduced an SOS feature on the Apple Watch that allows wearers to dial 911 in emergency situations, so the company is believed to be going in the same direction with the iPhone and make the aforementioned feature available on future generations of the device.
The next iPhone refresh is projected to take place this fall when the company is projected to take the wraps off the iPhone 7s, the 7s Plus, and the anniversary iPhone 8. The dramatically upgraded iPhone 8 was rumored to come without a fingerprint sensor at all, so this patent confirms that Apple doesn’t see a future without Touch ID just yet.