Apple patent reveals possible Find My iPhone improvements

Apple filed a patent application detailing new security features that could potentially make their way into the Find My iPhone service. These new features would greatly expand the control each user has over his or her missing iPhone and include:

• The ability to let users selectively protect files on a handset instead of locking the entire phone.
• A scrambling feature that would prohibit access to sensitive data on the phone without taking the drastic step of a remote wipe. Unscrambling would be available when the handset is retrieved.
• A remote recording feature that uses the mic on the iPhone to capture the voice of the thief and his or her surroundings.
• Remote messaging feature that would warn the thief of any recording or location tracking activity.
• An enterprise-friendly feature that prohibits access to sensitive functions or apps on the missing handset.

Patent applications are not to be mistaken for future product roadmaps, and many of the ideas detailed in them never make out of the concept stage. Fingers crossed that these security features are some of the few that actually land in their targeted product.