Apple is investigating a development of its Secure Enclave technology to allow multiple users to share an iPhone or iPad without revealing their private information to other users. Given that the Mac already has multi-user support, the most likely purpose of this patent is to bring this functionality to iOS devices. And most importantly, to do it securely.
“A computing device may use multiple passwords and associated encryption keys, where multiple passwords or encryption keys may be associated with each different user account on the system,” the patent says.
If Apple implements this on iOS devices, then of course each user would need to have their personal information , from logins to Apple Pay details . However, each user would also need access to some shared features of the device, such as the web browser .
“[Therefore, to] enable multi-user access to the data processing system, keys can be created for each group, so that through membership in a group in the system (e.g., administrators, users, etc.) different levels of access to the system can be permitted,” the patent says.
Many of the patent details focus on “the use of a peripheral processor or processing system that is separate from the system processors. “This peripheral processor” is a system on a chip (SoC) that enables various secure input/output (I/O) functions.”
Apple doesn't want to explicitly commit to the T2 chip, but says that this system "may include a secure enclave processor (SEP)."
SEP restricts access to only what the specific user is authorized to use. Essentially, SEP can be the “primary arbiter of all system access data.”.
As part of this, the patent describes methods for how an authorized user can define what another user. It discusses how the normal system, or a malicious user, “cannot access resources within the SEP.”
Aside from the ability for multiple users to share a device, most of this security is hidden behind the familiar passcode or, potentially, Face ID. What a user can see, however, includes what happens when they enter the wrong passcode.
After several failed login attempts, you will be locked out of the system. Apple's patent shows that before you get to this stage, the system could be slowed down .
This new patent is credited to three inventors, Pierre Olivier Martel, Arthur Mesh, and Wade Benson. The new patent is a far cry from Apple's first research into multiple users on an iOS device, which was done in 2013.
