Chinese security researcher Wish Wu was set to give a talk on hacking Face ID at the Black Hat Asia hacking conference in Singapore in March 2019, but at the request of his employer, he's canceled the talk, reports Reuters.

His presentation, called "Bypass Strong Face ID: Everyone Can Deceive Depth and IR Camera and Algorithms," supposedly offered details on a way to get past Face ID on the iPhone X "under certain conditions."

iphone x face id
Curiously, the Wu says that his hack did not work on the iPhone XS and XS Max. Given that the three smartphones use the same Face ID system, it's not entirely clear why a bypass method that works on the iPhone X wouldn't also work on Apple's newer devices.

According to an abstract of the talk, Face ID was able to be hacked on the iPhone X with an image printed on a black and white printer and some tape.

Wu was asked by his employer, Ant Financial, to withdraw from the talk. Ant Financial is known for its Alipay mobile and online payments platform, which works with Face ID.

Wu told Reuters that he agreed with the decision to withdraw his talk, saying he was only able to reproduce hacks on iPhone X under certain conditions, but that it did not work with iPhone XS and XS Max.

"In order to ensure the credibility and maturity of the research results, we decided to cancel the speech," he told Reuters in a message on Twitter.

In a statement, Ant Financial told Reuters that the research on the Face ID verification mechanism is "incomplete" and would be "misleading" if it were to be presented at Black Hat Asia. Despite this, the Black Hat conference said Wu's talk was accepted in the first place because Wu "convinced its review board he could pull off the hack."

A Face ID bypass or hacking method would be major news, as the feature uses 3D facial recognition technology to prevent it from being fooled by photographs, masks, and other means.

As Reuters points out, there have been no reports of a successful Face ID hack that others have been able to replicate since Face ID was introduced in 2017. Vietnamese company Bkav posted a few videos of Face ID being bypassed with a well-made mask, but other researchers have not been able to duplicate those results.

Face ID is not infallible, however, and has issues with facial recognition with children and identical twins.

Top Rated Comments

A MacBook lover Avatar
82 months ago
There's no mention of Android (but I agree). This just shows that Apple's Face ID is more complex than we think it is and to be indeed bypassed, there has to be serious work involved.

But since they claim it doesn't work on the newer iPhones, why bother that much? Of course the one on the X is outdated and the Xs uses more advanced algorithms, so it's more secure, in a way.
Since there are endless posts of Apple hate rushing to be the first comment, I decided to rush in with love.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A MacBook lover Avatar
82 months ago
More proof that Apple is the best and android is a joke
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
82 months ago
Article quote:

“As Reuter points out, there have been no reports of a successful Face ID hack that others have been able to replicate since Face ID was introduced in 2017. “


Someone still trying to debunk Face ID.....Next.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SSD-GUY Avatar
82 months ago
He Wish-es his claims were true.

It’s ok, I can see myself out.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Porco Avatar
82 months ago
He Wish-es his claims were true.

It’s ok, I can see myself out.
Beat me to it... I was going to go with 'Wishful thinking' ;) :D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alpi123 Avatar
82 months ago
More proof that Apple is the best and android is a joke
There's no mention of Android (but I agree). This just shows that Apple's Face ID is more complex than we think it is and to be indeed bypassed, there has to be serious work involved.

But since they claim it doesn't work on the newer iPhones, why bother that much? Of course the one on the X is outdated and the Xs uses more advanced algorithms, so it's more secure, in a way.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...