And although there were plenty of new features announced for the upcoming upgrade to OS X — dubbed El Capitan — perhaps the security news which will impact the most iPhone and iPad users is that Apple will be beefing up security on iDevices running iOS 9, by requiring users to upgrade from a 4-digit passcode to one containing 6 digits.
Two extra digits. Can that really add a whole lot more security?
Well, actually yes.
You see, a six digit passcode has one million possible combinations instead of 10,000.
Graham Cluley, writing on the Mac Security Blog, explains why a six-digit passcode is good, but an alphanumeric passcode is even better.
This is only available on a device with a Touch ID. Presumably, not having a Touch ID means you’ll be typing your PIN a lot more often, so they didn’t include the feature for older devices.
Source: 6 Digits Are Better Than 4! iOS 9 to Boost Passcode Security | The Mac Security Blog