What Does Apple's Patent Filing Mean For The Average iPhone User?

Apple's recent patent application Apple is playing big brother and the main motive behind the patent is to thwart jailbreaking and invade iPhone users' privacy

Meanwhile, some are praising the new levels of security the technology discussed in the Apple patent filing could add: Detecting the users of a stolen or lost iPhone and disabling it before an unauthorized user gets the chance to peep important data or information.

Despite which side of the fence you're on, one thing is clear: Apple wants a front row seat to what you - or anyone else, for that matter - does on your iPhone. Apple wants to know how you use your device. It wants to know if you jailbreak it. If you hack it. If you tweak it to run on another network. Whether Apple will do anything with that information, however, remains to be seen.

So if it all goes through, what does Apple's recent patent filing, called "Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device," mean for the average Apple iPhone user? That's the real question.

If the patent application makes it through the process, it means Apple can monitor an iPhone user's heartbeat and voice and take pictures or video of iPhone users to filter through facial recognition software. It means that if Apple determines that something shady is going on, it can shut down a device remotely, no questions asked. And it means that Apple can keep an eye out to determine whether a user's iPhone has been jailbroken, hacked or tweaked to operate on a carrier's network other than AT&T. And any and all of those things could lead to Apple launching a remote kill pill against the smartphone.

In reality, it's highly unlikely that Apple will keep a sharp eye out on the average user that doesn't modify their iPhone with anything other than Apple-sanctioned software. And Apple says it will use heartbeat monitoring and facial recognition to compare those attributes against those of an unauthorized user in the event that an iPhone is lost or stolen.

The patent also indicates that Apple will monitor other suspicious activity as well. If a password is entered incorrectly a certain number of times or if a user moves a certain distance from a synced device, Apple could determine that something sketchy is afoot.

Overall, it appears the patent filing is a bid for Apple to protect the average iPhone user from loss or theft and to protect their data. It could be a valuable security tool. But the industry won't know for sure until the patent is granted and it's determined exactly what Apple plans to do with the information that it gathers.