iPhone rubber fingers not a hoax, inventor insists

Exclusive Register Hardware can confirm that it's possible to prevent smudging your iPhone’s display by rolling what looks like a black latex condom onto your finger - aka the weirdest iPhone accessory ever seen: the Phone Finger.

The product’s maker claims the Phone Finger will “prevent smudges and fingerprints” on your iPhone or iPod Touch. However, we were unsure if the latex surface would interfere with the iPhone’s touch screen technology.

A promotional video where a girl has her iPhone stolen whilst using her Phone Finger also made us question the product's legitimacy.

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However, rather than sit and snipe, we contacted the brains behind the Phone Finger, Philipp Zumtobel. He wasn’t keen to give us any specific sales figures, but claimed that, despite the business having only been up and running for a few weeks, it’s already “receiving many orders”.

And that video? According to Zumtobel, it was shot for fun because he didn’t want to do “just a normal boring presentation video” and so decided to make it “a little different”.

We got some sent in for testing, and in due course a multi-pack arrived. Each Phone Finger is essentially a miniature tight rubber sleeve that rolls up over your finger and, despite the presence of some questionable ribbed sections, fits snugly onto any digit.

It didn’t interfere with our iPhone’s operation and kept smudge marks off the device's screen. However, because zooming in requires the use of two fingers, you’ll need to put a second Phone Finger onto your thumb to ensure 100 per cent fingerprint prevention. Its tightness could make you finger a little numb with prolonged use, we found.

Phone Fingers are available now in a range of sizes and in bags of 25 pieces for €7 (£4/$9).