Apple patents secret 911 dialing with fingerprint

Now it will be easier to call emergency services with just a tap or a series of taps on your iPhone or by just using your fingerprint. According to a report published in CNN, the patent has been posted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday, and the tech giant has outlined a certain feature which would allow users to call emergency services “when a conventional method may not be practical.”

Although it is already possible to call 911 via the lockscreen on iOS devices, this would allow users to reach out for help when an attacker or assailant is watching, the patent stated. The company has suggested that the technology would look for a sequence of fingerprints or applied pressure to trigger a 911 call. “The user may program the electronic device to recognize the input entered with a particular sequence of fingers, such as pinky-ringpinky, as a command to make an emergency call,” the patent states.

This could mean that the device owner is unlocking the phone for an attacker but they are discreetly contacting 911. But “no indication of execution is apparent.” The feature can be programmed to bypass passwords and log-in screens, may also alert authorities to a user’s whereabouts and automatically pull live audio or video directly from the iPhone. The patent adds the technology could erase or hide certain personal data which you might not want to share like social security numbers or home address. More recently, Apple also rolled out an SOS feature to its Apple Watch to make contacting emergency services easier.