Siri Bypasses Passcode Locks, But You Can Turn This Off

Did you know that with Siri you can make a voice activated call from an iPhone 4S that has been passcode locked? It’s not an oversight on the part of Apple. It’s just their choice to turn the feature on by default. Some think it should be off by default and require the user to turn the feature on in Settings. If you agree, don’t worry because I’ll show you how to turn this feature off.

First, you must have a passcode set which you do by opening Settings and tapping General. Swipe down till you see Passcode Lock and tap that. Tap on Turn Passcode On and enter your chosen 4-digit passcode twice.

You can also choose a more complicated passcode by turning off the setting Simple Passcode before tapping on the Turn Passcode On button.

Once you have a passcode lock set, every time you wake your iPhone you will have to enter this passcode. But if you hold down the Home button while the phone is asleep, Siri will startup and let you make a call. This feature allows you to quickly and easily make a call while you are otherwise distracted, like when you are driving. It can be a good thing.

However, if a thief steals your phone or a lucky person finds it, then they can make a call even if they don’t know your contact names. They can just give Siri the actual phone number, like an oversees sex chat line or their aunt in Russia, running up your cell phone bill.

Unauthorized users can also set reminders or appointments and do lots of other cool things, like ask Siri silly questions.

Those of you who want the extra level of security can turn this feature off for from the Passcode Lock settings screen. Turn the Siri option to Off and from then on your iPhone 4S will “not allow access to Siri when locked with a passcode.”

This might be a pain if you want to make a call while flying down the Expressway, but so is keeping up with your car keys and remembering Internet passwords.

That’s the cost of doing business in a dishonest world.