index.md 2.5KB
title: The 10 Most Popular iPhone Passwords, Starring ‘1234’
url: http://techland.time.com/2011/06/13/the-10-most-popular-iphone-passwords-starring-1234/
hash_url: eb48eb1392
All you iPhone owners take note: iOS developer Daniel Amitay conducted a little experiment to find out what the most popular four-digit unlock passwords really are. Using a line of code in his app, Big Brother Camera Security, he was able to anonymously document the most frequent inputs.
(More on TIME.com: A Photographic History of the Cell Phone)
His findings aren’t pretty.
From a sample size of 204,508 passwords, these turned out to be the top 10 most frequently used:
1. “1234”
2. “0000”
3. “2580”
4. “1111”
5. “5555”
6. “5683”
7. “0852”
8. “2222”
9. “1212”
10. “1998”
People, people, people.
After doing some investigative thumbing, the only pattern-less input combo appeared to be “5683.” But as it turns out, 5863 is actually the numerical representation for the word “love,” so there’s that. Amitay also notes that the years 1990 – 2000 are popular choices, with several occurrences cracking the top 50.
In any case, the bottom line is this: One in seven iPhones would be pretty easy to unlock should they fall into the hands of thieves.
So how do you build a stronger password? He notes that “9,” “8,” “7,” and “6” are the least frequently used first digits, so that’s probably a good place to start. Essentially, the more randomized your number, the better — but it all really depends on how much you care.
As for all the folks out there who use “1234”? As Matt Peckham pointed out to me earlier, “1234” is the title of that Feist song Apple used in that old Nano commercial. Subliminal messaging, maybe? Probably.
Change your passwords, folks.