Are you on the fence what the passcode setting should be on your iOS device? Are you worried that anyone could access all your data if you left it somewhere yet at the same time annoyed by having to type in your passcode all the time?

I know I am. I use my phone so frequently that a five minute passcode setting actually rarely kicks in. My iPad on the other hand I don’t pick up as often and therefore I would have to enter the passcode pretty much every time. Which is why I don’t use one.

This came back to bite me a few weeks ago when I left my iPad on the cross-trainer in the gym. When I noticed my iPad was missing I wished I had at least set a passcode to protect its contents. Thinking about why I hadn't, it occurred to me how I could have had the best of both worlds: no passcode while at home or at other places I consider “safe” and a passcode everywhere else.

iOS should simply allow you to define location specific passcode settings. You should be able to define a default which applies everywhere and then one or more regions that are exceptions. This would allow you to define a basic safe setting with a passcode and then other areas where you’re more liberal. You could even have passcode settings of different complexity depending on where you are. No passcode at your home, a complex one abroad, and a simple one everywhere else.

Below you‘ll find an illustration of what the setup for this could look like.