Future iPhones To Use Behavior Recognition for Security

Many folks rely on their smartphones to get things done these days. But there are various security concerns involved for consumers. Phone theft is certainly a big issue. Wouldn’t it be nice if your iPhone could detect when it is stolen based on behavioral changes of its current user? That’s an Apple invention that we might become a reality in the near future. Published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, the patent application describes a system for generating notifications based on user behavior.

This is like your phone watching what you do and sending you an alert or triggering an action when it realizes someone else is currently holding it. It will record any form of input or interaction to compare with historical data (e.g. location data, grammar, keyboard orientation preferences, …). When changes in behavior are detected, the server can lock the iPhone or send a notification to a third party device.

As much as the idea sounds intriguing, it could raise privacy concerns for phone users. Let’s not forget that it needs to work almost perfectly to avoid annoying phone buyers. Who knows when Apple will implement a security system like this!