iPhone to Have Android-Like Pattern Unlock Screen? [Apple Testing Android-Like Unlock Screen For iOS, Using Shapes & Gestures Instead of Slide or Passcode]

Posted on TFTS by J. Angelo Racoma on Monday, 28. February 2011 under: Mobile/Cell Phones, PCs, Notebooks, Netbooks & Tablets

Touchscreens sure bring about big changes in how we manipulate our devices. It used to be that PIN entry was the easiest way to unlock a phone, but it seems patterns and gestures are better.

Android’s pattern-based unlocking system involves connecting a series of dots using a pre-set pattern to unlock the device, in lieu of a PIN or password. Users are given an option to display guide dots or issue haptic feedback.

It seems apple is testing a similar system for use on iOS devices like the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The “dots” based unlocking system is already in place with the Apple Connect application, which is for internal use among Apple employees.

While it has not been confirmed whether this will make its way to consumer iPhones as a standard security system, sources say Apple is likely to use it on most internal systems.

For now, if you want to use a gesture-based unlocking method on your iPhone, you can use a Cydia app called AndroidLock. Of course, this only works on jailbroken iPhones.

Source