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Apple is going to start requiring you to use a 6-digit passcode in iOS 9

Apple’s new iOS 9 comes packed with new security measures, including a six-digit passcode requirement which can be quite a pain for non-TouchID users.

The new six-digit passcode requirement

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Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference this year came with very few surprises—a new OS X, iOS 9, Apple Pay in the UK and watchOS 2. Even the ‘one more thing’ tease was too obvious with the introduction of Apple Music, the company’s new music streaming service.

No one, however, expected the iOS passcode to become more irritating by requiring 6 digits.

It’s the smallest of things that people always like to moan about nowadays. In fact, I will join this first world problem revolution and say it—yep, the six-digit passcode is annoying.

At WWDC, Apple placed strong emphasis on security, claiming that their users’ privacy is up their pecking order. I respect that, and truly hope this is true; we have all heard about Apple’s former disregard for privacy when using location tracking services.

Apple expects the six-digit passcode to be less prone to bruteforce solutions that have recently appeared on the market. Such devices have been able to take between 6 seconds to 17 hours to bruteforce a four-digit passcode. Traditional bruteforcing would take longer to unlock an iOS device given the 10,000 possibilities of a four-digit passcode, which can include letters as well as numbers. The new six-digit passcode requirement would be up to 100 times hard to crack.

Unlocking an iOS passcode with bruteforce

Regardless, six-digit passcodes will be an even greater hassle than four-digit ones. TouchID has always been the better and faster security measure that makes everyone forget about unlocking a device. This makes one wonder if Apple’s six-digit passcodes come as a double-edged sword. It’s true that six-digits are more secure, but also more annoying, which makes TouchID feel even more of a breeze, thereby making the user more keen to buy the latest iOS devices.

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