Something else to fix in iOS 6.1: a trick lets users bypass iPhone lock screen

iOS 6.1 was released just a few weeks ago, and Apple has had to squash a couple high-profile bugs already. Now add to the list another potentially scary-sounding glitch: with a few well-timed button taps, it appears anyone can bypass the iPhone’s lock screen, assuming it’s been updated to the latest version of iOS 6.1, according to several reports.

A YouTube video showing how it can be done, posted by user videosdebarraquito, was spotted by The Verge on Thursday. Basically, he found that by attempting and canceling an emergency call on the iPhone, holding the lock buttong and then taking a screenshot took him past the stage where he should have had to enter a password to access the phone. In the video he shows he’s able to place a call to one of the phone’s listed contacts.

He also claims that he was able to see and edit the “contacts list, list of recent calls, favorite contacts, and even make a call to any phone number on the hacked device and erase the log.”

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bug or if a fix is already being prepared.

This is yet another thing for Apple to address as part of the iOS 6.1 release. Earlier this week it released iOS 6.1.1 that targeted a bug causing some users of the iPhone 4S to experience degraded 3G connectivity. And some corporate iPhone users are still waiting for Apple to release a fix for an acknowledged bug causing syncing with Microsoft Exchange to go haywire.