After launching its Touch ID fingerprint recognition technology in the iPhone 5S last year, Apple is now opening it up to all developers with iOS 8. Engineering SVP Craig Federighi just announced that third-party apps will be able to use Touch ID for authentication in the new iPhone and iPad OS, adding an additional (and difficult to trick) layer of security on top of the traditional password. Financial apps like Mint and password organizers like 1Password will be able to better protect your private data with Touch ID, though images shown during the presentation suggest they’ll need to accept the old-fashioned password as well — at least for now. To address any early security concerns, Federighi noted that developers won’t get direct access to your fingerprint data even if their apps utilize Touch ID.
Apple opens Touch ID to third-party apps with iOS 8
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