Apple’s Touch ID sensor on the 64-bit iPhone 5s seems to be what is currently hot at the moment among Cydia developers, with a number of them taking the opportunity to release tweaks that rely on biometric authentication to perform specific tasks. Ryan Petrich, of Activator fame, is the latest to adopt current trends with the release of his BioLockdown package, available to download now.
Petrich isn’t the first developer in the jailbreak community to apply this method of authentication to specific areas of iOS. In the run up to Cydia and Substrate being updated we witnessed a teaser video by Greek developer Elias Limneos that showcased his own BioProtect tweak, a package that has been available for a couple of days in Cydia, followed by another one named Applocker which has only recently been updated for iOS 7 and iPhone 5s. The similarities between these packages are hard to ignore but it’s clear to see that being first doesn’t always mean being the best with BioLockdown offering the same functionality as BioProtect with a little bit more on top. Plus, it is priced a whole dollar cheaper than BioProtect, and same as Applocker.
Petrich’s biometric gift to the jailbreak world allows users to require detection of an authorized fingerprint in order to access apps, settings and switches that live within the iOS 7 Control Center and Settings.app. After installation of the package users have the ability to set up a number of "Restrictions", which is basically a way to tell the system that an app, settings toggle or Control Center switch shouldn’t be activated without detecting a registered fingerprint. Getting up and running with the package is extremely simple, as you would expect from a Ryan Petrich creation.
For those that already own BioProtect and only require authentication for apps then it doesn’t seem necessary to purchase BioLockdown as well. However, if you are debating between the two then it seems an almost easy decision to opt for the cheaper, more powerful option that is BioLockdown.
BioLockdown is a commercial package, available as a $1.99 download from the BigBoss repository. The tweak is designed purely for use with the Touch ID sensor and therefore is only available for the iPhone 5s.
For tutorials on how-to jailbreak, check out:
- iOS 7 – 7.0.4 Jailbreak: Download Evasi0n 7 For iPhone 5s, 5c, 5, iPad, iPod touch [Windows / Mac]
- Jailbreak iOS 7 – 7.0.4 Untethered On iPhone 5s, 5c, 5, 4s And More With Evasi0n 7 [Video Tutorial]
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