Face ID

When Apple introduced iOS 14.5 in April, it introduced the ability to unlock your iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask, so long as you are wearing an Apple Watch. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. In the current health climate, many people are wearing masks that cover their faces when going outside, visiting stores, and other tasks, which is why Apple added the...

In the current health climate, many people are wearing masks that cover their faces when going outside, visiting stores, and other tasks, and Apple's iPhones that use Face ID do not unlock when the user's face is obscured by a mask. With this in mind, in iOS 13.5, Apple has streamlined the speed with which the passcode pops up when a mask on the face is detected, making it easier to get into ...

There's an Emergency SOS feature built into iOS 11 that has hidden functionality -- it automatically disables Touch ID and makes it so your passcode has to be entered to unlock your iPhone. Because it essentially shuts down the biometrics on your device, you can't be compelled by a police officer or malicious person to unlock your iPhone with a fingerprint, nor can your fingerprint be used to...

For many people, Face ID has been frustrating to use for the past two years because it doesn't work with a face mask, but that's changing in iOS 15.4, an update that's currently available to developers and public beta testers. iOS 15.4 adds Face ID with a Mask, letting you unlock your iPhone with Face ID even when your face is covered, so Face ID is as convenient with a mask as it is without ...

Apple is believed to be working on redesigned versions of the iMac that feature the biggest design overhaul to the ‌iMac‌ line since 2012. However, Apple's Face ID facial recognition authentication system is likely to feature in the second iteration of the redesign rather than the first, which is due this year, according to a new report today by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The tidbit came at...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published a new Apple patent application that describes a facial recognition system like Face ID being used to automatically update the orientation of a device like an iPhone or iPad, as noted by AppleInsider. The patent notes that the portrait or landscape orientation of a mobile device is currently determined using accelerometers or other sensors...

Apple plans to release an iPhone with a Touch ID power button on the side of the device in the first half of 2021, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a research note with TF International Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo has now revealed that the iPhone will feature an LCD display, further suggesting that it will be a lower-cost model. Last month, Kuo claimed the device will lack Face ...

iPhone 12 models will feature a "refreshed" front-facing TrueDepth system that benefits Apple supplier Lumentum, according to Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis, Thomas O'Malley, and Baylie Harri. This suggests that Face ID could be improved on iPhone 12 models, but no specific details were provided. In a research note provided to MacRumors, the analysts added that the rear-facing camera system ...

Google has ignited security concerns over the facial authentication system in its new Pixel 4 smartphone by admitting that it will unlock the device even when the user's eyes are shut. Google unveiled the Pixel 4 this week to mostly positive reviews, many of which praised the phone for its super-fast new face unlock system, which replaces the fingerprint sensor and works much the same as...

Apple's vice president of product marketing Greg Joswiak recently spoke with the UK's Daily Express about the future of its biometric authentication systems, noting that while Face ID will be expanded to more devices over time, Touch ID will "continue to have a role" for the foreseeable future. "Certainly, we'll continue to put it on more devices but also ‌Touch ID‌ will continue to have a...

Apple is developing an in-display fingerprint scanner for future iPhones, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu. The report claims Apple is considering including the in-display scanner in a 2020 iPhone if testing is successful, but adds there is a possibility the tech will not be ready until 2021. This lines up with a prediction from noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who expects...

During the Black Hat USA conference in Las Vegas, researchers demonstrated a Face ID bypass method that used glasses and tape to unlock and infiltrate the iPhone of an "unconscious" victim. According to a report from Threatpost (via iMore), researchers from Tencent aimed to fool the "liveness" detection feature in biometrics, which is meant to distinguish "real" from "fake" features on people. ...

Apple's latest iPhone ad humorously demonstrates how Face ID is more convenient and secure than Touch ID for user authentication. Timed with midsummer, the 30-second spot depicts a man napping on a reclining lounger in a backyard. After receiving a trio of iMessage notifications on his iPhone XR, he slowly raises the lounger to line up his face with the ‌iPhone‌ and unlocks the device with ‌Fac...

The popularity of OLED smartphones with in-display fingerprint sensors will continue to gather pace in 2019, DigiTimes reports this morning, despite Apple's decision to move away from the technology in favor of face recognition. Citing industry sources, the report says that rising popularity for fingerprint scanners in smartphone screens is being driven by a reduction in sensor prices and the...

WhatsApp has enabled a new Face ID authentication option for iPhones that support the feature, in the latest update to the messenger app (via WABetaInfo). The Facebook-owned platform has been testing the feature for iPhone X and newer devices in its TestFlight beta releases for some weeks now, but version 2.19.20 of WhatsApp, now on the App Store, makes ‌Face ID‌ available for all users with...

Google appears to be working on a facial recognition system that would offer similar security to Face ID, based on code for the next-generation version of Android that was highlighted by XDA Developers. Code in Android Q, set to be shown off at Google's developer conference in May, points towards an advanced facial recognition system that would be secure enough to be used for authorizing...

Law enforcement officials can't force smartphone users to unlock their devices using fingerprints or other biometric features such as facial recognition, according to a Northern California court ruling from last week. The ruling, which was shared this morning by Forbes, was the result of an Oakland investigation into possible extortion. Police officers asked the court for permission to seize...

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...

Forbes recently challenged a variety of smartphone face-recognition systems with a 3d printed head modeled after the author's head.The head was printed at Backface in Birmingham, U.K., where I was ushered into a dome-like studio containing 50 cameras. Together, they combine to take a single shot that makes up a full 3D image. The final model took a few days to generate at the cost of just over...

Back before the iPhone X came out, there were rumors suggesting Apple would do away with the Home button by implementing Touch ID under the display of the device, preserving the fingerprint sensor while allowing for an edge-to-edge display. That didn't end up happening and Apple ultimately replaced Touch ID with Face ID, but since then, other companies have implemented in-display fingerprint...

Police in the United States are being advised not to look at iPhone screens secured with Face ID, because doing so could disable facial authentication and leave investigators needing a potentially harder-to-obtain passcode to gain access. Face ID on iPhone X and iPhone XS attempts to authenticate a face up to five times before the feature is disabled and the user's passcode is required to...

A Forbes report has highlighted the first known case of law enforcement forcing a suspect to unlock an iPhone using Face ID. The incident reportedly happened in August when federal agents obtained a warrant to search the house of a man in Columbus, Ohio, as part of a child abuse investigation. Apple marketing image for Face ID According to case documents, FBI agents got 28-year-old Grant...

Global shipments of 3D sensing smartphones are expected to reach over 100 million units in 2018, according to China-based analyst Sigmaintell, as Android phone makers gradually adopt the technology that Apple introduced to market last year. China-based Xiaomi and Oppo have already unveiled phones featuring their own versions of the 3D scanning technology that Apple launched in the iPhone X...

Apple has updated its service policy for a limited number of iPhone X units that may be experiencing issues with Face ID. Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers are now authorized to perform a whole unit replacement for iPhone X units with Face ID issues, instead of a display repair, according to an internal document obtained by MacRumors. Apple Stores and Apple Authorized...