Oh, it looks like more passcode issues are arising. This time, it's not so much a security flaw as it is an ability for others to use up your talk time minutes.
When entering the iPhone's emergency call feature, you can call 911 in case of an emergency. However, you can also call any other number you'd like. Basically, going to the emergency screen lets you make a phone call to anyone. And while I could see the advantages of this in an emergency, it's not exactly a good way to lock down your minutes, either.
It would only be a problem if your iPhone was stolen and someone was able to use a bunch of minutes before you could cancel the service. Even so, it's a bit of an inconvenience, don't you think?
[via MacRumors]
Wow. Welcome to July ‘07. This feature has been here all along.
I agree. The call anyone feature has always been there and u could call anyone on the emergency only option. i first tried it in August 2007
Not for nothing, but it is myopic to make this into a big deal… 911 is not supported everywhere. So someone steals your phone and your minutes. Anyone stupid enough to lose such an expensive phone and NOT to call their provider to report the loss is not going to miss the minutes. Expensive phone vs. really cheap minutes? This is a non-story!
I actually used this article to see if it was “safe” for me to make other calls using the emergency feature. It happens to be placed pretty nicely in google for that, so it’s actually useful.
I was looking on this page to see what the emergency call feature was all about, mainly if I would call the authorities or whatnot if I played with it. I’m not worried about minutes, I use the passcode so people can’t access my bank account, email, client records and for snoopy frienemies just looking at my browser history.