Apple Gesture Lock-Screen Borrows Android Security

While enthusiasts on each side will readily – and lengthily – argue which Apple innovations have been "borrowed" by Android and which Google cleverness has been "embraced" in iOS, these lock-screen dots caught running on an internal iPhone app do seem to be heavily Android inspired. 9 to 5 Mac's sources passed them screenshots of the gesture-based lock system, apparently in use on the employee-only Apple Connect app.

Functionally, it's just the same as on Android: a user sets up a pattern of swipes between the nine dots, that are used instead of a PIN code or password to unlock the app. "Use as many strokes as you want in your gesture" the tutorial screen suggests, with a progress bar to show if the pattern is long enough to satisfy Apple's security paranoia.

The same system is supposedly headed to other internal Apple apps, including the apps in use by Apple's retail team. However, there's no word on whether they'll be opening up the gesture system to use by general developers, or indeed adding it as an alternative to the current iOS lock screen.