Touch ID

Box updated with Touch ID support and Notification Center widget

Dropbox competitor Box updated its iOS client this morning, bringing the app to version 3.5. The update is a big one, bringing about a number of improvements and new features, including some that are specific to users with devices running iOS 8.

The Box app now features a widget in the Notification Center that allows you to quickly and easily create Box notes and view recent documents. The update also adds support for Touch ID, so you can use your fingerprint to lock and unlock the app.

LockGlyph: unlock Touch ID enabled devices using the Apple Pay animation

LockGlyph is a brand new tweak available on the Cydia store that brings the Apple Pay confirmation animation to the Lock screen. If you own a Touch ID enabled device like the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, or iPhone 6 Plus, you can unlock your device using fingerprint authentication, and enjoy a nice Apple Pay-inspired animation and sound during the process.

I've taken a spin with LockGlyph on video. Check inside to see some of the tweak's pluses and minuses.

Google Drive gains Touch ID, iPhone 6/6 Plus support, Storage extension and more

After adding passcode protection to Google Drive for the iPhone and iPad half a year ago, Google on Thursday added more coolness to the software.

First and foremost, the app now includes full support for iOS 8 technologies and can finally lock itself behind Touch ID fingerprint authentication.

And should you happen to own one of the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 or 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus devices, Google Drive will take full advantage of the increased resolutions to show more files and content.

They've also added a new option to save videos from Drive to your device and implemented a handy system-wide Storage extension allowing you to access your Drive in almost any iOS 8 app.

Google Drive is available at no cost in the App Store.

U.S. Court says phone passcodes are protected under the law

Criminals should protect their iPhones with a passcode, not Touch ID, as a Virginia District Court has determined that passcodes are protected under the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution while fingerprints are not, according to a report Friday by Hampton Roads.

The Fifth Amendment protects citizens from self-incrimination so a phone is protected under the law because otherwise it would require a defendant to divulge knowledge. Put simply, a Circuit Court judge has ruled that a criminal defendant can be compelled to reveal their fingerprint but not the passcode, so that police could search their mobile phone.

GoodReader gains Touch ID protection, iCloud Drive enhancements, new iPad features and more

Following a recent update which added basic support for iCloud Drive, enabled Handoff and implemented support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus screen sizes, Yuri Selukoff's excellent file manager and PDF reader, GoodReader, got updated Monday with a slew of new features and goodies.

Available as a free update to existing users, the new GoodReader 4.6 now lets you protect the app with Touch ID fingerprint authentication, open and annotate documents kept in your iCloud Drive without copying them into the app's private storage and more.

Dropbox for iOS updated with support for iPhone 6 and Touch ID

Great news for Dropbox users this evening, as it appears the online storage service pushed out an update for its iOS client this weekend. Dubbed version 3.5, the new build of the app brings about support for the higher resolution displays of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and other enhancements.

In the change log, Dropbox lists a fix for previewing RTF files on iOS 8 and other general stability and performance improvements. It also notes that users with an iPhone 5s or later, running iOS 8 or later, now have the option to unlock their Dropbox accounts using Touch ID fingerprints.

iOS 8 User Guide inadvertently confirms ‘iPad Air 2’ and ‘iPad mini 3’ with Touch ID and Burst mode

An inadvertent (or is it?) slip-up on Apple’s iBooks Store on Wednesday all but confirmed that tomorrow's media event will in fact serve as a launchpad for a pair of iPad refreshes: a second-generation iPad Air and third-generation iPad mini. Furthermore, the images suggest Touch ID fingerprint scanning for both new tablets, in addition to Burst camera mode for the regular-size iPad.

These revelations were made public via iTunes screenshots for the iOS 8 iPad User Guide that can be downloaded to iBooks, as first discovered by the prolific Apple blogger Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac.

You can now protect your OneDrive with Touch ID

Windows and Office maker Microsoft on Wednesday pushed a small but important update to OneDrive, its cloud storage client for the iPhone and iPad. The refreshed application enables users to lock content in the app using Touch ID-based fingerprint verification on the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The new OneDrive 4.5.1, a free 12.7-megabyte download from the App Store, also takes full advantage of the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus,  lets you sort files and folders and includes bug fixes and stability improvements.

Leaked images show off thinner iPad Air 2 design with Touch ID and no mute switch

Vietnamese blog Tinhte.vn on Wednesday leaked [Google Translate] a fresh batch of images showing off what appears to be a noticeably thinner chassis for Apple's upcoming second-generation iPad Air tablet with Touch ID fingerprint scanning.

Curiously enough, the shots show the recessed volume buttons like on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but no mute switch on the side, in turn prompting watchers to speculate that Apple may have ditched the button due to the tablet's thin profile.

Speaking of thinness, the unit pictured on the photos is said to measure just 7 millimeters. By comparison, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are 6.9mm and 7.1mm thin, respectively, and the iPhone 5s measures 7.6mm in depth.

More Apple Pay details leak after iOS 8.1 beta 2 release

Earlier today, Apple released iOS 8.1 beta 2. Like the previous beta release, it was quickly inspected by UK developer Hamza Sood, best known around these parts for his contributions to the jailbreak community.

With iOS 8.1 beta 1, Sood revealed details regarding Apple Pay's presence in the stock Settings app. This time around, we get our first glimpse of the Passbook setup screens, and credit card data entry screen.

References to Touch ID iPad and settings for Apple Pay found in iOS 8.1 beta

References to new iPad models with Touch ID support and a settings page for Apple Pay have been discovered hidden in the just-released beta of iOS 8.1. Developer Hamza Sood posted the evidence on Twitter this evening, in the form of three screenshot images.

The first two images, which you can see above, show a new Passbook pane in the Settings app for setting up Apple Pay, as well as a Privacy Policy page for the new mobile payment service. In the page, Apple outlines what user data it collects, and what it does with it.

PDF Expert 5 and Documents 5 updated with iCloud Drive, Touch ID and other enhancements

Yesterday, Ukrainian developer Readdle released a pretty big update to its PDF Expert 5 and Documents 5, apps that let you edit, annotate and manage PDFs and other documents on your iPhone and iPad.

I wanted to share a few key improvements with you quickly because the app's now a showcase example of how iOS 8 enables a whole new level of inter-app integration.

A free update to existing owners, PDF Expert 5.2 features a number of enhancements, including a few iOS 8 exclusives such as support for iCloud Drive document storage and Touch ID authentication to unlock the app instead of a regular passcode.