Apple iOS 7.1.1 update aims to fix Touch ID fingerprint fallacies

iPhone fingerprint sensor
The iPhone 5S' Touch ID isn't off the hook

Some iPhone 5S users have complained for months that the phone's fingerprint sensor tends to lose accuracy over time, and Apple has finally released an update to iOS 7 that addresses the issue.

The iOS 7.1.1 update purports to improve Touch ID's accuracy, which hopefully means making sure it doesn't forget what your fingerprints look like.

Reports of that issue began arriving in December 2013, and Apple dallied in tackling the problem directly.

A February rumor had Apple working on a software-based solution for the issue, and this could very well be the fix that users have been waiting for.

Breaking the mold

iOS 7.1.1 won't address all of Apple's Touch ID problems, as there are still some handy workarounds for crafty hackers.

The rubber mold that fooled the iPhone was recently found to work equally well on Samsung's Galaxy S5, but at least Samsung recently opened its fingerprint sensor up to third-party developers too, a step in the right direction to develop security solutions.

As for other improvements, remember when you had to plug your iPhone into your computer and open iTunes just to update it? Yeah, just head to the settings menu to update to iOS 7.1.1 and you won't have to any longer.

The latest iOS 7.1 update also makes the official iOS keyboard more responsive and fixes a conflict in the software between Bluetooth keyboards and the VoiceOver user accessibility feature.

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Via TechCrunch

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.