The only good thing about winter’s arrival is that people will finally stop saying “winter is coming” every 27 seconds. Seriously, people, just stop it already. It was fun for one season, maybe two, but we’re six seasons into GoT not and it’s getting old.
Brutally cold weather is sweeping the nation now, and it brings with it all sorts of problems. Staying safe and getting around through the snow and other forms of frozen precipitation is at the top of the list, of course, and finding a way to keep your face and appendages from freezing off is another big concern. We can’t help you with either of those problems, but we’re happy to report that there’s another issue brought about by winter that we can help with, and it’s something that impacts just about every iPhone user out there.
You’re trekking through a blizzard, trying your best to keep your face aimed downward so the snow doesn’t batter your eyes. As you grip your grocery bag tightly with one hand, you reach into a pocket with your other to pull out your iPhone. You tap the home button with your thumb to unlock your handset and… nothing.
The humanity!
Sure, you could tap out your PIN, but if you really value security and privacy, you’ve enabled password protection. Do you really want to be bothered with typing out that long password every single time you have to unlock your phone? You could also briefly take your glove off to unlock your phone, but you bought touchscreen compatible gloves for a reason.
Don’t worry, because we’ve got you covered.
A recent post on Reddit reminds us of what will be a life-changing iPhone trick for many, many users: you can store touchscreen glove fingers as Touch ID “fingerprints” on your iPhone. We’ll pause for a moment so you can regain your composure now that your mind has been thoroughly blown.
As long as your gloves work with capacitive touchscreens, you should be able to pull this off. Simply slide on your glove, go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode, and add your “glove print” just like you would with a regular finger. Is this a security risk? Sure, in the unlikely event that someone knows you added your glove and manages to steal that particular glove along with your phone, they’ll be able to unlock your iPhone. For many users, it’s probably worth the risk.
