You’ll soon unlock Microsoft Outlook with Apple Touch-iD on your New MacBook Pro. Wait... what?
It’s finally happening: Hell is freezing over, pigs fly, and MacBook Pro users will soon unlock Microsoft Outlook using Touch-ID.
In all fairness, we did see it coming a mile away, but it does come as a surprise that Microsoft is the first one to implement Touch-ID authentication for a single Microsoft app, before Apple has a chance to do the same for its own native apps.
In this first round of updates, the feature involves only the iOS version of Microsoft Outlook, which is why you may want to wait a bit before trying it out on your brand new MacBook Pro’s TouchBar.
Microsoft has issued the update with the release of Outlook for iOS version 2.2.2, which includes the ability to lock the application using Touch-ID.
In Apple’s defense, iOS is a pretty solid and secure platform even without individually lockable apps. With that said, per-app fingerprint authentication is a feature that has already been implemented widely, especially in mobile banking applications, such as Bank of America’s mobile app.
Now that the new MacBook Pro, and possibly more future Macs will implement Touch-ID in some form or another, the question is, how long before per-app Touch-ID sign-ins will become a thing?
Touch-ID, just like other forms of biometric authentication implemented by competitors like Samsung, LG and of course, Microsoft, is becoming more widespread than ever, and as of the new MacBook Pro, adoption of this feature on laptops and even all-in-one desktops may become mainstream, which will likely make the case for a more widespread use of per-app fingerprint unlocking.
Privacy of information isn’t likely to become less of a concern for most users anytime soon, and the ability to lock an application on a desktop, or laptop computer, is one thing very high on many consumers wish lists.
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