ProtonMail launched to the public back in April, along with slick Android and iOS apps, to offer up a secure email client that even your mom could use.
Trouble is, your mom probably ain’t no good at remembering passwords and ProtonMail needed you to enter two before you got to your inbox, the latter of which decrypts your emails and can’t be retrieved if you forget it.
Well, v1.2.3 is now rolling out to beta testers and offers iOS users the choice to turn on TouchID so you can forget those pesky passwords, if you’re using it on an Apple handset with a fingerprint at least.
You can also add a PIN number on top of that if you want an extra layer of security, as well as turning on an auto-lock function that works either every time you leave the app or activates after a set time.
Those additional security measures are probably not a bad idea, as questions remain about whether fingerprints are really more secure than PINs for protecting your phone’s data. ProtonMail’s security infrastructure more generally is, likewise, not without critics.
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
The ProtonMail app beta now also now lets you add attachments from iCloud and other third-party apps. That’s still pretty basic functionality for the average business user and the platform’s limitations compared to something like Gmail could still hold people back from switching.
Auto-lock features are also coming to Android, as well as a number of bug fixes.
While the apps are in the wild, the company is continuing to test new features in beta with its early crowdfunders, although new participants are invited to pay $29 to access the program.
The company says that accessing its apps via the beta program means you can get hold of them “independently from Apple and Google.”
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.