The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were introduced by Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller during a Special Event in 2015. (Photo : Getty Images/Stephen Lam)
Apple has fixed a bug on iOS 9.3.1 that allowed Siri to directly access contacts and photos of an iPhone without the need of a fingerprint scan or passcode.The fixed is automatic, so consumers do not need a software update.
A spokeswoman from the iPhone maker confirmed to The Washington Post the bug was fixed Tuesday morning. The bug on the iOS was shown in a video on YouTube by a certain Jose Rodriguez. For Siri to be able to access the iPhone's contacts and photos, it should be allowed to search Twitter and the iPhone should have the Force Touch feature, meaning, it should either be a 6s or 6s Plus. Lastly, a tweet must contain an email address for the digital assistant to call up the contacts menu.
The bug worked when all those circumstances were met, which was rare; but the error still existed. Disabling Siri's access to Twitter did not work as a solution but entirely turning off the personal assistant, did.
Having a tweet or a message containing an email address could make it easy to call up a menu to go to contacts, and add a new contact with a photo or edit an existing one, sans the passcode. The bug could be made easy to use, like intentionally tweeting an email address from one's account.
Now that the bug has been fixed, Siri does not have the ability to search Twitter on a locked device anymore. Asking the digital assistant to search Twitter would have her answer that the iPhone should be unlocked first.
Apple also fixed another Siri-related bug, reported 9to5Mac. Before, it was possible to turn on Night Shift during Low Power Mode. After the correction, asking Siri to turn on Night Shift while Low Power Mode is enabled will have her answer: "In order to turn on Night Shift, I'll have to turn off Low Power Mode. Shall I continue?"
Aside from Siri formerly capable of accessing contacts and photos in locked handsets, there are other ways to get into certain features of the iPhones sans the passcode and fingerprint scan, as showed in Rodriguez' video below:
