MacRumors

Apple's upcoming mixed reality headset will be equipped with an advanced eye tracking system, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said this evening in a note to investors that was seen by MacRumors.

The eye tracking system will feature a transmitter and receiver that can detect and analyze eye movement information, providing users with images and information based on algorithms.

Apple's eye tracking system includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitting end provides one or several different wavelengths of invisible light, and the receiving end detects the change of the invisible light reflected by the eyeball, and judges the eyeball movement based on the change.

Kuo says that most head-mounted devices are operated by handheld controllers that can't provide a smooth user experience. He believes that there are several advantages to an eye tracking system like the one Apple will use, including an intuitive visual experience that interacts seamlessly with the external environment, more intuitive operation that can be controlled with eye movements, and reduced computational burden in the form of a reduced resolution where the user is not looking.

There is no word yet on whether Apple's headset will be able to support iris recognition, but Kuo says that based on hardware specifications, an iris recognition feature should be possible. If this can be implemented, Kuo expects users will be able to use it for a "more intuitive Apple Pay method" when using headsets.

This is not the first time we've heard rumors of an eye tracking system. The Information previously said that the headset will feature advanced eye tracking capabilities along with more than a dozen cameras for tracking hand movements.

Kuo earlier this month said that Apple would release its mixed reality headset in "mid-2022," with the headset to then be followed by augmented reality glasses in 2025.

Prior rumors have indicated that the headset will offer both VR/AR capabilities, much like other mixed reality headsets on the market. The headset will include Sony's Micro-OLED displays to provide a "see-through AR experience" as well as a VR experience.

Bloomberg has said that the headset will be a "mostly virtual reality device" offering a 3D environment for gaming, watching videos, and communicating. AR functionality will be limited, and Apple plans to include powerful processors to handle the gaming features.

The headset is expected to be "portable" and lighter than other head-worn VR devices on the market, but it will carry a premium price and could cost somewhere around $1,000 in the United States.

Despite campaigning heavily against Apple's upcoming anti-tracking rules, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg today said that Facebook will "be in a good position" when Apple begins enforcing App Tracking Transparency and could even benefit from the changes.

"It's possible that we may even be in a stronger position if Apple's changes encourage more businesses to conduct more commerce on our platforms by making it harder for them to use their data in order to find the customers that would want to use their products outside of our platforms," Zuckerberg said in a Clubhouse meeting this afternoon.

As CNBC points out, this is the most positive statement that Facebook has made yet about Apple's its App Tracking Transparency rules. It's possible that Facebook is changing its narrative as it has become clear that Apple has no plans to delay the implementation of App Tracking Transparency, and Facebook's attempts to stop it gave gained little steam.

With the launch of iOS 14.5, apps like Facebook will have to get express user permission before accessing an iPhone's advertising identifier or IDFA, which is used to track usage across apps and websites for ad targeting purposes.

Facebook has railed against Apple's planned privacy updates, taking out full page newspaper ads that aimed to position Apple as the enemy of small businesses. Facebook has claimed that businesses that use Facebook's advertising tools will suffer because they won't be able to target ads as effectively as they can now, but there are questions about how much data small businesses need to get their ads in front of the right customers.

App Tracking Transparency will impact Facebook's view-through conversion tracking, which lets ad companies determine how many people saw an ad and didn't click it, but later made a purchase related to the ad. The IDFA allows Facebook to match up those who buy an item with those who saw an ad, but without the IDFA, advertisers will not be able to accurately measure the effectiveness of Facebook and Instagram ads.

According to CNBC, Facebook has been preparing for App Tracking Transparency with the introduction of Facebook Shops and Instagram Shops, where brands can list and sell items directly on the social networks. Zuckerberg said that more than 250 million people are actively using the shops feature.

There are signs that Apple's retail store operations are beginning to return to normal as some locations have once again started allowing U.S. customers to try on AirPods.

According to Bloomberg, Apple stores that are open for customer walk-ins are letting customers test out AirPods, something that has been restricted since Apple Stores first began closing last spring.

Apple still has stores that are operating on a pickup-only basis as "Express" locations, and in these areas, there is no option to try on AirPods, but in all other stores, customers can test the AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.

All of Apple's retail locations in the United States were reopen as of March 1, with that date marking the first time all stores were operational since stores started closing in March 2020.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple is cracking down on Chinese tech companies that are working on ways to get around upcoming App Tracking Transparency rules, reports Financial Times.

Starting in iOS 14.5, Apple plans to begin requiring app developers to obtain express user permission before accessing an iPhone's advertising identifier or IDFA, and earlier this week, news suggested that the state-backed China Advertising Association was testing a tool to skirt Apple's rules.

Apple on Thursday sent warnings to at least two Chinese app developers using methods to track app usage without user permission. "We found that your app collects user and device information to create a unique identifier for the user's device," reads Apple's email, which says that the developer must update the app to comply with App Store rules within 14 days or risk its removal from the ‌App Store‌.

According to Financial Times, the app developer in question was using a tool called CAID, which was developed by the aforementioned China Advertising Association. The China Advertising Association this week said that CAID it is not "in opposition" to Apple's privacy policy, but that may not be accurate given the warnings that Apple sent out today.

A Chinese marketing industry veteran told Financial Times that "big and small firms" in China are all considering CAID, but Apple's recent actions "will put a stop to these tests." Some of the biggest tech companies in China, such as Baidu, ByteDance, and Tencent, are all testing or implementing CAID to identify users.

ByteDance, for example, has recommended that developers use its SDK to issue CAID1 and CAID2 identifiers. One is based on a user's IP address and the other is based on the phone's IMEI, which is a unique identification number. The CAID1 and CAID2 identifiers violate Apple's rules because they do not ask for user permission before collecting this data. ByteDance has also recommended that developers use "fingerprinting and probabilistic matching" to identify users, which is also against the ‌App Store‌ Guidelines for App Tracking Transparency.

The China Advertising Association said that it is developing additional services that will collect and store personal data from users to create a "fingerprint" for each person. Any app that uses the CAID system will collect user data and send it to a central server to create a CAID identifier that will be used for cross-app user identification purposes. The CAA claims that users can opt out of CAID, but by Apple's definitions, it is not allowed in the first place.

Tech experts believe that Chinese apps plan to tweak their apps in "numerous ways" to get past Apple's ‌App Store‌ review team, with one likening it to a "cat-and-mouse" game. Apple has said multiple times that apps that disregard user preference when it comes to ad tracking will be rejected, which could lead to difficulties with Chinese companies and the Chinese government going forward.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Astropad today announced the launch of "Project Blue," a new public beta initiative that introduces cross-platform support for connecting an iPad to a PC. With the beta, ‌iPad‌ artists can use an ‌iPad‌ as a wireless drawing tablet for a PC by mirroring their Windows desktop to their iPads.

Prior to today, the Astropad software could turn an ‌iPad‌ into a drawing device able to be used with a Mac, but the functionality is now available for ‌iPad‌ owners who want to use a PC instead of a Mac.

Project Blue is optimized for drawing with the Apple Pencil, and the ‌iPad‌'s touch gestures can be customized to access tools and shortcuts in Windows apps. An ‌iPad‌ can be paired with a Windows PC over WiFi or using a USB connection.

Project Blue requires a PC laptop or desktop running Windows 10 64-bit build 1809 or later and an ‌iPad‌ running iOS 9.1 or later.

For the time being, Project Blue is available for free, and later this year, it will be folded into the full suite of Astropad products. Those who want to test out Project Blue can sign up on Astropad's website.

Apple today provided updated figures on the diversity of its workforce over the last two years, indicating that its promise to be more inclusive has resulted in a steady increase in representation amongst its employees.

The last time Apple provided figures on its workforce was in 2018, so this is the first time since than that the company has provided a breakdown of the different races, ethnicities, and genders within its workforce. Apple breaks down diversity into separate sectors of the company, including Leadership, Retail, and Retail Leadership.

Overall, Apple says that since 2018, it has increased the share of Asian employees by four percentage points, while other races and ethnicities also saw increased representation in multiple categories. Over the last two years, Apple says that 42% of new retail hires have been women, and women have filled 49% of retail leadership positions since January of last year.

Apple's gender split is also continuing to narrow, with women representing 34% of all employees, up from 33% in 2018 and 30% in 2014. The increase is even more extensive in employees under 30 years old, where the share of women has risen from 31% to 40% since 2014.

Apple says that members of underrepresented communities occupy more than 60% of current Apple Store jobs and 50% of retail leadership positions. Alongside the updated numbers, Apple today redesigned its Inclusion and Diversity webpage, featuring new testimonials from employees, and further highlights its commitment to be equitable and diverse.

As part of its barrage of attacks against M1 Macs, Intel this week launched a "PC vs. Mac" website that's biased heavily in favor of PC machines that are equipped with Intel chips and that makes questionable claims about Apple's ‌M1‌ Mac lineup.

Intel's website says that Apple's ‌M1‌ Mac benchmarks don't "translate to real-world usage" and that when compared to PCs with 11th-Generation Intel chips, ‌M1‌ MacBook features "just don't stack up."

Intel positions PCs as more "personalized" to fit a user's "specific hardware and software needs," while the ‌M1‌ Macs offer "limited" device support, games, and creation applications. "The bottom line is a PC offers users a choice, something that users don't get with a Mac," reads the website.

PCs offer a "complete touch screen" instead of the "constrained Mac Touch Bar," along with "2 for 1 Form Factor options" while Apple makes customers pay for "multiple devices and gear." The website highlights specific software like AI-based content creation tools from Topaz Labs that are allegedly faster on 11th-generation Intel Core chips, and faster Chrome performance.

A PC is built for the user. They can run whatever software and games users want to run and accommodate all plug-ins you love. The possibilities are endless with a PC versus Apple's rigidly controlled walled garden.

Intel this week launched a major anti-Apple silicon ad campaign targeting the ‌M1‌ Macs. A series of ads released on YouTube star former "I'm a Mac" actor Justin Long extolling the benefits of Intel-based PC machines.

Developers need to look out for "XcodeSpy," a malicious Xcode project that installs a custom variant of the "EggShell" backdoor on a macOS computer, according to new research shared today by SentinelOne (via Ars Technica).

Xcode is software designed for developers who want to write apps for the iOS and macOS platforms, and the malicious project that's circulating mirrors TabBarInteraction, a legitimate open source project.

Developers who download the XcodeSpy project think they're getting TabBarInteraction, but the malware includes a hidden "run Script" executable that downloads and installs the EggShell open source back door that's able to spy on users through the microphone, camera, and keyboard as well as upload and download files.

Two variants of the custom EggShell attack were found to be uploaded in Japan, first in August and then in October, so this is an attack that's been out in the wild for some time.

We have thus far been unable to discover other samples of trojanized Xcode projects and cannot gauge the extent of this activity. However, the timeline from known samples and other indicators mentioned below suggest that other XcodeSpy projects may exist. By sharing details of this campaign, we hope to raise awareness of this attack vector and highlight the fact that developers are high-value targets for attackers.

SentinelOne says that all Apple Developers that use Xcode should exercise caution when using shared Xcode projects.

We have a special Thursday giveaway this week, coming to you from Boss Team Games and Gamaga, who want to celebrate the launch of strategic turn-based fighting game Cobra Kai: Card Fighter, which can be downloaded today from the App Store.

Boss Team Games and Gamaga are offering an iPhone 12 Pro to one lucky MacRumors reader, which will come with in-game currency to spend in Cobra Kai: Card Fighter. Two other winners will also get in-game cash to enhance the gameplay experience.

Cobra Kai: Card Fighter, as the name suggests, is a fighting game. It retells the first two seasons of the popular Cobra Kai Netflix show, with players able to choose between rebuilding and reopening the Cobra Kai dojo with Johnny Lawrence or sticking with the traditional Miyagi-do Karate with Daniel LaRusso.

In the game, players will build their dojos, recruit students from the TV series, and train them up to become All Valley Champions before challenging other senseis from around the world. There's a single-player story mode and a PvP multiplayer tournament mode.

Gameplay is card based, with cards based on karate punches, throws, and kicks, plus special attacks and combos for every fighter. Choosing a winning series of cards requires strategy, but with the fight-based theme, the game is action packed. In between challenges, players can train their fighters, level up their belt ranking, build decks, and customize characters.

Cobra Kai: Card Fighter is available starting today, and one lucky winner can enter our giveaway to win an ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro (in the color of your choice), plus $15,000 in-game cash to make purchases like Training Room upgrades, Student Booster Packs, and Tokens.

A second place winner will receive $10,000 in-game cash for the Cobra Kai: Card Fighter game, and a third place winner will receive $6,000 in-game cash. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (March 18) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on March 25. The winner will be chosen randomly on March 25 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

Twitter today announced that it is testing a new iOS feature that's designed to allow Twitter users to view YouTube videos right in their timeline without having to swap over to the YouTube app.

Starting today, Twitter for iOS users who see a YouTube video in their timeline can watch the video without leaving the Twitter app. Prior to now, watching a YouTube video on Twitter required tapping on a link and opening up the YouTube app on iOS devices.

Twitter will also soon launch a new "Spaces" chat room feature that's similar to social networking app Clubhouse. With Spaces, Twitter offers users public chat rooms that users can create or join. The host who created the Space has speaking privileges to talk to those who join, and can designate up to nine other speakers. Twitter plans to launch Spaces for everyone in April.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is eager for employees to return to the office following the pandemic and in an interview with People, he said he anticipates Apple implementing a "hybrid environment" to return to in-person work.

Cook said that it's important for people to "physically be in touch" because you can't plan collaboration and innovation.

"Innovation isn't always a planned activity," Cook adds. "It's bumping into each other over the course of the day and advancing an idea that you just had. And you really need to be together to do that."

Apple has an open floor plan model that's designed to encourage employees to interact with one another, and Cook says that Apple is still "figuring out" how to manage that as people return to work. The time away from the office has, however, taught Apple that some things are "perfectly great" to do virtually.

"We have realized and learned that there are some things that are perfectly great to do virtually across Zoom or WebEx, whatever, or FaceTime, whatever you might have. So I think it'll be, I'll call it a hybrid environment [for] a little bit."

Cook also took the opportunity to point out the work that Apple employees did while working remotely. Cook said that Apple had an "enormous, prolific period" with the introduction of the 5G iPhone 12 lineup and the M1 Macs. "These are major, major accomplishments," he said.

"We're very much an in-person team because we believe that's best for collaboration," Cook told People. "But we knew that was no longer possible, or not possible for this period of time. And so we had to reinvent ourselves."

Cook said that there was no firm return to work date, but he "can't wait" for Apple employees to be back at work.

In addition to commenting on Apple's future plans for employees returning to work, Cook answered a series of quick questions about his daily routine. Cook said that he goes to bed right around 9:30 p.m., and wakes up at 4:00 a.m. He opens up Apple News first thing in the morning, and coffee and his iPhone are two things he can't live without.

Cook said that he recently "binged" Apple TV+ series "Ted Lasso," and that strength training is his favorite workout. Cook also said that he last FaceTimed his nephew, his favorite emoji is the peace sign emoji (✌️) and that he hopes to take a trip to Glacier National Park in the future.

Intel is continuing its anti-Apple ad campaign, today sharing a tweet that calls out the lack of ports on M1 Macs. In a photo, actor Justin Long sits on a couch with a Windows PC and holds up a handful of Apple dongles.

Apple's Macs have long been derided for their lack of ports and the need to use dongles for various accessories and displays. Since 2016, Macs have included only USB-C ports, with Apple having done away with HDMI ports, USB-A ports, and SD card readers in its notebook lineup. That's set to change in 2021, though, with rumors suggesting Apple will introduce new MacBook Pro models that once again feature an SD card reader and an HDMI port.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who shared Apple's future port plans in January, said that in the future, "most users may not need to purchase additional dongles."

The ad follows several anti-M1 Mac videos that Intel shared yesterday starring Justin Long, who used to be in the well-known "I'm a Mac" Apple ads. In the videos, Long promotes Intel-based PCs, highlighting their gaming capabilities, touchscreens, and other features.

Intel's ads come as Apple is moving away from Intel chips in its Mac lineup. Apple in November released the ‌M1‌ chip in the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, and there are more Apple silicon chips on the way. Over the course of the next two years, Apple plans to transition away from Intel chips entirely.

The Justin Long ads are not the first anti-Apple ads that Intel has shared. In February, Intel began a Twitter-based campaign attempting to point out the shortcomings of ‌M1‌ Macs. Intel appears to be feeling threatened by Apple's chip options. ‌M1‌ chips received a huge amount of attention at launch due to their impressive speed and efficiency, which Intel chips are unable to match.

Apple has even faster chips on the way, and there will be little for Intel to call out once ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with next-generation Apple silicon chips and a range of ports are available.

Apple has given a series order for a half-hour comedy series starring Maya Rudolph. The series is untitled as of yet, but Rudolph will play Molly, a woman whose life is upended after her husband leaves her with 87 billion dollars.

The series was created by Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard, who have also worked with Rudolph on "Forever." Yang is known for "Parks and Recreation," "Master of None," and Apple TV+ show "Little America," while Hubbard has worked on "Parks and Recreation" and "30 Rock."

Maya Rudolph is one of several "Saturday Night Live" stars that are working with Apple. Jason Sudeikis is in hit series "Ted Lasso," Will Ferrell will headline "The Shrink Next Door," and Cecily Strong and Fred Armisen are set to star in upcoming series "Schmigadoon."

In other ‌Apple TV‌+ news, actress Vera Farmiga is set to star in "Five Days at Memorial," Apple's upcoming limited series that focuses on the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Farmiga will play Dr. Anna Pou.

It's been a whirlwind of a month for Apple rumors. First, we heard from leaker Jon Prosser that an Apple Event was planned for March 16, but that was ruled out by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Once that date passed, Prosser and other leakers then suggested there would be an Apple Event on March 23, which is seemingly not happening either.

With attention now shifting to April, we've put together this recap of where things stand.

Rumors Shift to April

The first word that Apple might have April announcements planned came from Japanese website Mac Otakara back in early January. Citing supply chain sources, the blog claimed that Apple would release second-generation AirPods Pro and a third-generation iPhone SE in April, but the report did not specify whether the products would be announced at an event or with press releases. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has since claimed that a new iPhone SE will not be released until 2022, but new AirPods Pro are still possible this spring.

April talk intensified this week, starting with a report from Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes that claimed volume shipments of Mini-LED display components for a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro will begin in the second quarter of 2021, which spans April through June. This was followed by a report from Gurman, who claimed that plans to announce new iPads as early as April, including new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models.

Notably, Gurman claimed that the new iPad Pro models could feature a Thunderbolt connector. This rumor certainly sounds plausible, as the new iPad Pro models are expected to be equipped with a faster A14X chip based on the M1 chip in the latest Macs, and the M1 chip supports Thunderbolt. And since Thunderbolt uses the USB-C connector design, the new iPad Pro models would still work with existing USB-C chargers and accessories.

As widely rumored, Gurman said Apple is looking to include Mini-LED backlighting on the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro at a minimum, suggesting that Mini-LED display technology might be exclusive to the larger model, at least for now.

Kuo added to the pile on early Thursday, claiming that mass production of Mini-LED iPads will begin in mid-to-late April.

Apple Event in April?

Apple's last April event was in 2010, when the late Steve Jobs announced the developer preview of iPhone OS 4 (later renamed to iOS 4) at Apple's small Town Hall conference center at its former Infinite Loop headquarters.

According to Prosser, though, Apple does plan to host an April event this year. In a YouTube video today, Prosser said that he was actually told by a "vague and mysterious" source who has been "100% accurate" that there would be an April event back in late February, but Prosser thought that an April event made "little to no sense" and he was more inclined to believe his sources mentioning a March 23 event.

Prosser himself acknowledges that it's worth treating this April event rumor with some skepticism since it would be Apple's first April event in 11 years, but he emphasized his source's perfect track record. It's also worth noting that Prosser has been inaccurate about three consecutive event date rumors, including a November 17 event, a March 16 event, and a March 23 event (barring a last-minute announcement).

What About the Rest of March?

With both Gurman and Kuo indicating that new iPads are unlikely to be announced until at least April, and Kuo recently claiming that mass production of third-generation AirPods is now scheduled for the second half of 2021, the list of new Apple products that could be unveiled in March is starting to shrink.

However, a new "Items" tab enabled by default in the Find My app in the iOS 14.5 beta has led to some hope that Apple's long-awaited AirTags item trackers will finally be released soon. Apple said iOS 14.5 will be released in "early spring," but a specific release date remains unclear. If the Release Candidate version ends up being seeded next week, then iOS 14.5 could be released around Monday, March 29 or Tuesday, March 30.

Apple could opt to introduce the AirTags and/or other new products with press releases as it did last spring, including updated iPad Pro and MacBook Air models on March 18 and the second-generation iPhone SE on April 15.

At a minimum, Gurman's report this week said AirTags are still "planned for this year."

All in all, while rumors have been all over the map as of late, it seems like there is enough smoke to suggest that at least some new products will be announced within the next six weeks or so. Whether any of the product announcements come in these final days of March or in April, or at an event or otherwise, remains to be seen.

Apple is refining its as yet unused under-display fingerprint scanning technology, seemingly ahead of bringing Touch ID back to the iPhone, according to a newly-published patent application.

The patent application, first spotted by Patently Apple and filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, is titled "Under-display fingerprint sensing based on off-axis angular light" and explains how an under-display fingerprint scanner can be made more accurate and reliable. Apple describes its technology as an "enhanced under-display fingerprint sensing" system that, unlike many other existing under-display fingerprint scanners used on Android devices, uses "off-axis angular light" to read fingerprints more effectively without increasing the size of the components.

Most optical under-display fingerprint scanning systems use light emitted from the device's display to illuminate the fingertip of the user, which is reflected off of the fingerprint and back through tiny openings between the display pixels. A sensor beneath the display can then read the fingerprint and authenticate the user.

Due to the "low-light throughput and diffraction" caused by the display stack, the fingerprint image is liable to suffer from low contrast and low signal-to-noise ratio, making it harder to read the fingerprint and potentially increasing the time it takes to authenticate a user.

To overcome this problem, Apple proposes a system in which the off-axis angular light from the finger is captured via a series of "angle-dependent filtering options between the display and the sensor." This method can "improve the contrast of fingerprint impressions and maintain the compactness of the entire sensing system," according to Apple.

Specifically, Apple's system includes "a light-emitting layer covered by a transparent layer and configured to illuminate a surface touching the transparent layer and to allow transmission of reflected light rays from the surface to underlying layers." An optical coupling layer below the display "bends the reflected light rays" that are then received by a collimator layer and interpreted by a pixelated image sensor.

The examples listed in the patent note focus on OLED being the display technology of choice for the system, which is the current display technology used on the entire ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup. Apple has been long-rumored to bring under-display Touch ID to the ‌iPhone‌, so the patent application may indicate that progress on the technology is advancing behind the scenes.

Apple is said to be planning to implement a fingerprint scanner under the display of at least one high-end ‌iPhone‌ in 2023, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, but Barclays analysts have recently suggested that the feature will "likely" arrive as soon as this year on the ‌iPhone‌ 13.

Facebook has announced that starting today, users on iOS and Android will have the ability to log into their account with a hardware security key, bringing a more than three-year-old feature for the desktop to mobile devices.

Since 2017, Facebook has allowed users to use a hardware security key to access their accounts on desktops. Mobile users, however, have remained limited to protecting logins to their account with either an SMS verification code or an authentication app.

Hardware security keys are a small, USB-shaped device that requires you to manually push a button, connect it directly to your device, or use NFC to verify your identity. Since hackers cannot obtain the physical key itself, it's deemed one of the safest security layers possible for online accounts.

Facebook says it encourages everyone to purchase a security key and add the extra security layer to their account. Setting up a security key is relatively straightforward; users can go to the Security and Login section of settings within Facebook for iOS and Android, select Security Key, and follow the on-screen prompts.