An iOS 11 feature could let you quickly disable TouchID and keep cops out

TouchID has always been a legal grey area when it came to cops and border patrol asking you to fork over your phone. But, with the new update in iOS 11, that no longer seems to be a problem.

The new feature is being referred to in some circles as a “cop button” because it allows the iPhone owner to set up a provision in the update allowing you to choose whether to keep TouchID on or not. This allows travelers and people who tend to get harassed by police more often — or just anyone concerned with privacy and security — to set their phone up using a long, complex password, thus locking out cops and anyone who doesn’t know the passphrase.

Currently, police can force you to use your fingerprint to unlock the phone, but they can’t force you to use your password — something that has been proven by law to be protected.

As Twitter user @alt_kia pointed out, to unlock the phone you press the power button rapidly five times and it will open a second screen, while also forcing anyone with the phone to use the longer passphrase to unlock it.

This process is especially useful in an emergency situation where you need to unlock the phone and call 911. As noted in Engadget, the option to call for help will pop up after you push the power button five times.

Of course, the process isn’t easy for those wishing to use it for privacy reasons, and you might get fatigued constantly unlocking it this way. However, it’s a good way to keep what’s on your phone to yourself.

Featured Image: Kārlis Dambrāns/Flickr UNDER A CC BY 2.0 LICENSE