MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - iOS Blog |
- How to Create a More Secure Passcode on Your iPhone or iPad
- Skype Launches 25-Person Group Video Calling on iOS and Android
- Apple Pay Now Works at 45 More U.S. Banks and Credit Unions
| How to Create a More Secure Passcode on Your iPhone or iPad Posted: 18 Feb 2016 12:10 PM PST  Apple's iPhones have long been protected by numeric passcodes, giving iOS users a way to protect keep their devices safe from hackers and prying eyes. Over the years, passcodes have been supplemented by Touch ID, Apple's fingerprint recognition system, but the passcode is still the iPhone's main line of defense. A passcode is required to set up Touch ID, and Touch ID is automatically disabled after 48-hours until a passcode is input by an iPhone or iPad's owner. In the United States, passcodes are especially important because the law suggests that while law enforcement officers can require you to provide a fingerprint to unlock a device, the same is not true of a passcode. For a long time, passcodes were four-digit numeric codes by default, but with iOS 9, Apple began using a six-digit passcode as the default option. Six-digit passcodes offer 1 million possible combinations instead of 10,000, making a passcode harder to crack. Apple doesn't advertise it, but the iOS operating system offers an option to make your passcode even more secure through the use of an alphanumeric passcodes or custom length numeric passcodes. Alphanumeric passcodes contain letters and numbers. Both alphanumeric and custom numeric passcodes can be much longer than four or six digits. Passcodes are currently in the spotlight because of an ongoing security debate between Apple and the FBI. Apple has been ordered to help the FBI access data on the iPhone 5c owned by one of the shooters involved in the 2015 San Bernadino attacks. To do so, the FBI has asked Apple to create software that would eliminate the iOS feature that erases an iPhone after 10 failed passcode attempts, removes the time limits between passcode entries, and allows passcodes to be input electronically. Apple is opposing this order and it's not clear how the issue will play out, but should the FBI gain a tool to access iPhones in this manner, it would take just upwards of a half an hour to break into a phone with a 4-digit passcode. With an alphanumeric passcode, such a tool would be next to useless because of the sheer amount of time it would take to guess a passcode with millions of possible combinations. Creating an Alphanumeric PasscodeCreating an alphanumeric passcode is a process that can be done with a few taps and about five minutes of your time. 
 With an alphanumeric passcode set on an iPhone, instead of a number pad to enter a numeric passcode, you'll see a full QWERTY keyboard complete with access to numbers, letters, and symbols.  While not as convenient as a simple number code, an alphanumeric password can be harder to crack and just as easy to remember if you use randomly generated combinations of words. For example, "sarcasm-blacken-guilder-epilepsy" or "stitch-quasi-peppery-tuneless," two password phrases generated by 1Password, aren't difficult to remember because they're simple words, but with upwards of 29 characters, they're impossible to guess or brute force. Using an alphanumeric passcode will be more of a hassle than a standard passcode, but with Touch ID, a passcode doesn't need to be entered too often. Any alphanumeric code used to protect an iPhone should be unique set of words or numbers that are not used for other products, services, or websites, which will make it impossible to obtain through social engineering or phishing attempts. Discuss this article in our forums   |
| Skype Launches 25-Person Group Video Calling on iOS and Android Posted: 18 Feb 2016 05:25 AM PST Earlier in January, Microsoft announced that it would bring a group chat feature to the Skype app on mobile devices over "the next few weeks," but never locked down a specific launch window. Today, the popular video chatting app will begin to support group video calling, similar to its web counterpart, on iOS and Android (via Engadget). The new feature will allow as many as 25 participants in a single Skype video chat, with 1080p video quality, and access to both front and back cameras. Much like the PC and Mac apps, the person talking will dynamically be rearranged to the center of the experience while everyone listening will be delegated to smaller tiles. The app will also let users pin someone in particular to the center tile to keep their face in a locked location even if they aren't speaking. For the ultimate get together experience, group video calls are in glorious HD quality and optimized specifically for the device you're using, giving a more natural feel to the call. The person talking is displayed front and center and video is immersive and full screen. Audio is also crystal clear, thanks to our SILK Super Wide Band audio codec in our cloud conferencing stack. To achieve this, we're proud to have worked with one of Microsoft's biggest partners, Intel, which helped enable us to optimize SILK Audio specifically for Azure running on Intel processors.With the update, Microsoft will make it easier to invite non-Skype users into calls as well, allowing a video chat group's participants to invite anyone to the conversation by sending a link through a messaging app like iMessage, and bypassing the traditional need for their Microsoft account information. Beginning first in the United States and Europe, the rollout for the mobile group chat feature is expected to be completed within a week. The company hopes that worldwide support will be finished sometime by the end of March. Skype for iPhone [Direct Link] and Skype for iPad [Direct Link] are both available to download from the App Store for free. Tag: Skype Discuss this article in our forums |
| Apple Pay Now Works at 45 More U.S. Banks and Credit Unions Posted: 18 Feb 2016 04:54 AM PST  Apple updated its Apple Pay participating issuers list today with 45 additional banks, credit unions and financial institutions supporting the contactless payment service in the U.S. Apple Pay now has 1045 participating issuers nationwide, including 1043 U.S. banks and credit unions and store card support at BJ's Wholesale Club and Kohl's. The newly added Apple Pay participating issuers are reflected below, although it's worth noting that some banks, credit unions and financial institutions listed may have already had support for the contactless payments service and are only now being reflected on Apple's website. The full list of new Apple Pay participating issuers:
In November, Apple Pay launched in Australia and Canada in partnership with American Express. Apple Pay is also coming for American Express cardholders in Hong Kong, Singapore and Spain this year, and the iPhone-based payments service officially went live in China in partnership with interbank network UnionPay earlier this week. Apple Pay gained support for BJ's Wholesale Club private label credit cards and 66 new U.S. issuers on December 15, plus nearly another 60 issuers on January 5. Apple Pay is now accepted by over 1000 U.S. banks and credit unions. Related Roundup: Apple Pay Discuss this article in our forums |
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