A free app, no matter how basic it might be, always gets the upper hand. So keeping that in mind, today I am going to talk about two jailbreak tweaks you can install on the iPhone to get Touch ID security for individual apps. So let’s check out the features of both of them.
AppScan
Once you install the AppScan module from the Cydia store, the phone will respring. The module doesn’t appear on the Spring Board as a regular app and you will have to open the iOS settings to configure it. Once you are there, just enable the AppScan services and select the applications you would like to lock. The app uses built-in system Touch ID data, so only the prints registered with your phone will be detected. The app will vibrate on any failed locking attempts, but that’s it, the utility of AppScan ends here. There are no advanced options such as putting a recovery passcode or giving the option to open the app using a secret code. If you think of it in that way, the app is actually flawed, as anyone can access the iOS settings and disable the security option that’s regulated by the app. But the app is free and one can’t complain. However, if you are willing to spend just a dollar, you can opt for Applocker, which provides higher-security locking options than AppScan.
Applocker
Just like AppScan, Applocker allows you to lock down apps using Touch ID. But it offers many other advanced options in the process. What impressed me immediately was that Applocker locked itself down as soon as the service was enabled to protect itself from any unauthorized access. What’s more, you can set a password of alphanumeric or just numeric codes if you don’t want to use the Touch ID for some reason. In the general settings, all those options can be found and configured. The app has some interesting features that are really productive. For example, if you have to lock down many apps on the phone and just leave a few, you can actually select the ones you don’t want to lock and then invert the selection. The idea sure does save time and it doesn’t miss out on any of the apps. Applocker gives you the option to set a fail-safe phrase that can be used to reset the password to 1234. But I doubt the day will come when you use the feature, as God forbid, that’s like losing your thumb. Apart from that, you can also set a trusted Wi-Fi zone where all the apps will forgo the password and open without any authentication.
Conclusion
So there they are: two apps that provide Touch ID security for your individual iOS apps. AppScan might be free, but it’s a very simple app with lots of security loopholes. For only a dollar, the Applocker upgrade has a lot of features, and when it comes to data security, that’s hardly a steep price. Finally, the choice is always yours, but do keep us in the loop.
