#5149

null507:

xenoqueer:

lifepros:

Quickly disable fingerprint/face unlock on iphones by pressing the power button 5 times rapidly

Having seen a post about someone being forced to unlock their phone at customs, I was inspired to share this.

In some countries passwords/passcodes are protected under personal knowledge and therefore cannot be “seized” by law enforcement, however biometric data (fingerprints, face unlock) counts as personal property. You can therefore be forced to unlock a device that uses this form of unlock.

On iPhones, pressing the power button rapidly 5 times sets it so that the next unlock will require a passcode and will ignore attempts to unlock via biometrics. This can easily be done discretely, or with the phone concealed in your pocket, bag etc.

While this won’t work for all situations (some countries just demand you open the phone regardless of how) it may help in some.

On Android 8 (oreo, I believe), if you lock your phone, you can disable biometric unlock by tapping the fingerprint icon underneath the keyboard on the lock screen. This forces password-only locking. Android 9 (currently only available on a few devices) includes a lockdown mode.

If you have a custom andoird rom based on an earlier build that doesn’t include fingerprint override, I recommend turning on secure boot- which will require you to enter your password to turn the phone on- and then turning your phone off when approaching law enforcement in any situation where you probably will not need to record video of the interaction.

Clicking the Sleep/Wake button on IPhone five times only works for iPhone 5-7s if you have iPhone 8 or later squeeze the Sleep Wake Button and either of the volume buttons. The phone will give you three options, “Turn Power Off” “Medical ID” or “Emergency Call” click the Sleep Wake button and it will cancel but close the phone such that you need to use the passcode again.