iOS 11's SOS Feature Allows You to Temporarily Disable Touch ID and Require Passcode

[Apple_Robert]

I think you have a glitch considering this and the fact that Touch ID doesn’t disable for you.
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Sorry, mixed you up with another user. Not sure what the normal behavior is supposed to be. Curious, does your phone just dim or does the screen actually turn off if you leave it without pressing cancel?

Touch ID is disabled. Once I wake the phone, I have to enter the passcode to turn Touch ID back on.

Edited to add: The screen turns off after I press cancel. If you don't hit cancel, the phone does stay lit.

 

[Chazzle]

That's bit stupid, isn't it? Almost all other phones allow to make emergency calls without unlocking the phone AND without doing some magic moves that only owner of this kind of phone knows. The whole point of this functionality is to allow any stranger to pick the phone from your unconscious body and make a call for help. This 5-presses thingy will narrow your potential life-savers to iPhone users (and only some of them, that happen to know how to use this feature).

So does the iPhone. You can access emergency services directly from the passcode screen. This is completely different. This article is touching on one small aspect of a feature that allows iPhone users to call emergency services by simply pressing the power button five times. When setup, this results in automatically calling emergency services and alerting your emergency contacts if toggled.
So no, not stupid at all.
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Touch ID is disabled. Once I wake the phone, I have to enter the passcode to turn Touch ID back on.

Edited to add: The screen turns off after I press cancel. If you don't hit cancel, the phone does stay lit.

Oh well that’s exactly what I thought you were saying didn’t happen. I thought you said your phone stays lit when you Don’t press cancel.

 

[Nunyabinez]

Interesting story, however, it does NOT disable touch ID. At least not on my phone that's running the latest public beta.

You must be doing something different than me. My phone behaves exactly as described. In order to get back in you must put in your passcode.

 

[CarlJ]

I think the five times is to prevent any inadvertent actions. It's a rather fast Motion pressing five times to toggle the function if you think about it.

The "why not just 3 presses" argument reminds me of the old wired telephones that "helpfully" included a "911" button as a "safety feature" - made false positives way too easy to do.

 

[Quu]

What would be really great is if you could put a specific finger on the TouchID sensor to lock the phone and disable TouchID. Like a pinkie finger or any of the ones you've put into the device really.

 

[Solomani]

ZERO people will recall this feature exists, or how to activate it, when a situation arises. Utterly convoluted.

Especially those older people in their 60s-70s having a heart attack, a main target audience for these emergencies, they won't recall how to do this.

 

[JRobinsonJr]

When you factor in adrenaline in emergency situations, you're are correct. Blood flow is directed away from brain and recirculated to the large muscle masses, which makes it very difficult to make quick decisions and it affects memory retention. This feature is something would have to remember or at least be familiar with in the least. Although Better to have this SOS feature than not at all. I like Apple's thinking here.

You are absolutely correct, which is why things must be discussed and practiced to make sure you can do it automatically with as little thought as possible. Works for virtually every emergency response scenario... and would be great here too.

 

[B4U]

How about also bringing back the Slide to Unlock...?

 

[spyguy10709]

Where all these cops that are checking your cell phone when they pull you over? Serious question.

In other words a win for ISIS?

?? Tons of news stories have been covering this, cops are illegally searching and seizing electronic devices of AMERICAN CITIZENS at the border...

 

[windywalks]

I just tried it and all's great, but my phone just started a countdown while an emergency siren howled disregarding my muted sound. Didn't seem too discreet to me.
I'm running the latest dev beta.

 

[tennisproha]

In other words a win for ISIS?

Yes it's a win for ISIL.
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it's locked in the same way and with the same message that the iPhone uses when it's been more than 48 hours since a device was last unlocked with a fingerprint.

It's after 8 hours not 48 hours

 

[iamshine]

Come 2018, this feature will be touted in Buzzfeed or BusinessInsider as "One of the most useful iPhone features you have yet to know...." or "7 secrets iPhone feature you are unaware of...." ...countless times.

 

[coolfactor]

Where all these cops that are checking your cell phone when they pull you over? Serious question.

Apparently border guards are authorized to check your phone without cause. Sickening.

 

[allenvanhellen]

This is a great idea, but why pressing 5 times?
Surely 3 times would have been more than sufficient while making this action quicker and ultimately more usable.

It's actually pretty easy to accidentally press the home button 3 times in a short time. For example, locking your phone, then checking the time, then pressing the button again to immediately turn off the screen.

 

[alphaod]

Sounds like a good feature.

 

[applesith]

ZERO people will recall this feature exists, or how to activate it, when a situation arises. Utterly convoluted.

What's the less convoluted method other than having a "disable touch ID" icon on the home screen?

 

[cerote]

I'll have to disable this I guess. Nice feature but my daughter has habit of pressing home button rapidly because she knows that is one step to disable the control lock on her iPad. And she tries it on our locked phones when we briefly let her hold it.

 

[iapplelove]

Because you're more likely to do that by mistake? Especially older folks.

Also 3 times is used already for gestures. Unless this has to be hit 5 times only while the emergency menu is up.

 

[Apple blogger]

Hope it's not a bug.

 

[richard4339]

Or it's a bug? Have they said it's by design anywhere?

 

[MrGuder]

I guess this means Apple won't be getting rid of that mute switch any time soon, like they did with iPad, huh?

 

[StandingGoose]

Emergency SOS is activated by pressing on the sleep/wake button of an iPhone five times in rapid succession.

Also 3 times is used already for gestures. Unless this has to be hit 5 times only while the emergency menu is up.

No gestures currently use the sleep/wake button. They use the home button.

 

[subjonas]

Or just turn the phone off?

Oh also sometimes you may want to disable Touch ID and leave your phone on, like if you think there's an off chance someone might try to use your fingerprint in your sleep.

 

[StandingGoose]

Emergency SOS is activated by pressing on the sleep/wake button of an iPhone five times in rapid succession.

I'll have to disable this I guess. Nice feature but my daughter has habit of pressing home button rapidly ...

No gestures currently use the sleep/wake button. They use the home button.
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Emergency SOS is activated by pressing on the sleep/wake button of an iPhone five times in rapid succession.

It's actually pretty easy to accidentally press the home button 3 times in a short time...

No gestures currently use the sleep/wake button. They use the home button.

 

[NZChris]

This only works if you switch OFF the auto call option for Emergency SOS.

In a real emergency, you probably want that on. If it is on, you have 5 seconds to cancel the call, while the iPhone is making a loud siren sound.

When the call is cancelled, your Touch ID is temporarily disabled.

I’m assuming they disable it because you’re in an emergency situation.