Comment by lloeki | Hacker News Reader

Comment by lloeki | Hacker News Reader

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> Or always remember not to look at the device and cover cameras with your fingers (FaceID can be quick)

Picture this:

- Owner hands over phone locked (whether or not in camera)

- Photographer sort of takes its time, acting not too sure about themselves to divert attention while subtly manipulating device so that screen shuts down (wait for screen sleep, or press power button if in camera), claims "oh I made a mistake / screen has shut down" or something to that effect all the while smoothly presenting device as if both demonstrating the fact and asking for help, facing it towards owner so that they can look, yet quickly presses power button which kicks in FaceID which provides haptic feedback as a cue to swiftly turn it around, swipe up, and keep a finger on screen. Photographer runs away, phone is unlocked.

What works: press power button five times, dismiss emergency screen, and only then hand it over. This invalidates authentication and requires pin to unlock (think `sudo -k`).

This solution also works:

* if you’re this paranoid, do not give your phone to a stranger

And buy a compact camera.

To be honest. At the moment a device of any kind is left unattended accessible for others security is already violated. Ability for physical manipulation allows for literally everything - same status as harmful software.

Because I’m not paranoid enough I hope for the best and rely on the login and hardware encryption. Or here on a nickname :)

Anyway. It is a valid use case well handled by Apple and Google in the past. They designed the lock screen for this.

Another option is to use the “Guided Access” accessibility mode which lets you lock the phone into the current app, requiring a password/optionally FaceID to unlock it. Can be activated with a triple click on the power/home button. It’s also great to use with kids to stop them switching apps.

It’s effectively a kiosk mode.

You don’t need to press it 5 times, just long press vol down and power, until the shutdown screen comes up and dismiss it.

Ah, true; TIL. Both are equally quick to me, although I do personally find 5 press to be slightly easier.

The thing is you can configure the 5 press to :

- emit a loud alarm

- call the emergency number

- send messages to your emergency contacts

And yes it also locks the phone. But that’s not something I would like to use just to get photographed by a stranger ;)

I have never ever heard of a photographer running away with a phone. I think that's more in someone's fantasy than reality. I know it can happen in theory but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Me neither, I merely walked from the scenario that the parent posited.

That said, while waiting for a train at a station, I've had shady people ask me to "place an urgent call" attached with a weird story told in terms that were triggering all sorts of "Nigerian prince scam" alarms, plus when you get like five in a row over an hour of waiting there's certainly something fishy going on here - could just as well be some sort of distraction for an accomplice to steal luggage. No way I'm handing my phone over in such circumstances, however locked.

Yep. The photo thing is my use case and the one where the lock screen fails to work with FaceID. But there a various use cases and this things carry the same data as a laptop.

Losing a Nokia 5110 was bad. Losing an iPhone as “average” user is worse. Losing an iPhone while unlocked is even less unfortunate - you probably need to reset every account, inform contacts and so on.

Imagine the other side. You dropped or lost your phone and nobody will let you make a simple call because this devices are so fragile and important.

Question? Is it possible to initiate a call and then lock the phone? Then a handover should be save?

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