Apple's New Face ID Biometric System Works in the Dark and When Your Face is Obscured by Hats and Beards

[elistan]

If you were plural, then "face" would need to be "faces" and "is" would need to be "are." Unless you're saying we all share one face, but multiple beards?

Hmm, yeah, good point.

 

[jonnysods]

Step 1: Knock person unconscious.
Step 2: Pry their eyelids open.
Step 3: Unlock iPhone X.
Step 4: Profit.

In November the amount of YouTube videos trying this stuff is going to break the internet.

 

[doelcm82]

When I’m riding my motorcycle and want to pull over to check directions, I’ll have to take my sunglasses and helmet off to activate FaceID. Or when I’m on the hill during the winter and want to pull my iPhone out to take a shot, I’ll also have to take my helmet and goggles off. Or even better, I’ll just have to stare at my iPhone in the mornings instead of just picking it up and placing my finger on it. All so I can look at an almost edge to edge screen that has an annoying notch on one side. Fantastic.

But you’re getting one, right?

 

[developer13245]

"If someone knocks you unconscious or attempts to unlock your iPhone X with your face while you're sleeping, it's not going to work."

Yup, Now they have to blow your brains out. The cranial pressure will transfer to the eye sockets and push your eyes out, which will deform the muscles that control your eye lids, keeping them open.

They just have to aim your eyes correctly as they push them back into the sockets, and bingo... they're in.

Ask a Kennedy:

 

[EdT]

That's what I was going to say, this article verifies that it takes 2 scans and then gives the passcode required message, just like what happened on stage, so it really was a Face ID fail. The only other explanation is if that phone had not been trained for Federighi's face, which would seem an unlikely blunder. I think we are going to have to watch closely as people get these in their hands to see how reliable it really is, and whether that was an unusual one-off.

Editing my answer to add: Mossberg did a detailed review of the facial recognition and Iris scanning on the S8- I'm hoping even though he is semi-retired that he might review this on the iPhone for comparison.

There is another possibility, but I don't know how likely it is: Whoever prepared the small table/phone layout accidentally tripped the face recognition twice, thereby locking the phone out. Or they shut the phone off, then powered it back on. If it is like the current phones it needs to be password unlocked after power up.

For the face identity lock out I don't know if there is a time limit, or how long it is if it exists. If someone looks at your phone and activates it, one time per hour, is that often enough? Two times in a minute? In five? After the number of tries has been reached do you have to use the password no matter what? Or if you wait x amount of time will it let you try again?

 

[Cisco_Kid]

Do Apple's "mask tests" weird anyone else out? If someone is wearing a mask of my face, I think I won't be so concerned about my phone. I'm just going to be praying it's not a skin mask.

Borrowed from the god of many faces

 

[uwdude]

There is another possibility, but I don't know how likely it is: Whoever prepared the small table/phone layout accidentally tripped the face recognition twice, thereby locking the phone out. Or they shut the phone off, then powered it back on. If it is like the current phones it needs to be password unlocked after power up.

For the face identity lock out I don't know if there is a time limit, or how long it is if it exists. If someone looks at your phone and activates it, one time per hour, is that often enough? Two times in a minute? In five? After the number of tries has been reached do you have to use the password no matter what? Or if you wait x amount of time will it let you try again?

Mmm, no I don't think so, if you go back and watch him again, he clearly tries twice before the message comes up, and the message you get from failed tries is different from the one after rebooting. Also I think once you've reached the failed tries, 5 for finger or 2 for face, it then requires the passcode no matter how long you wait.

 

[techortreat]

for security reasons you have to swipe with your fingers when you use FaceID. So if that action is needed, might as well use Touch ID...right?

 

[tennisproha]

I thought we all had unique fingerprints? Like snowflakes.

I will say I still much rather face ID than an awkwardly placed rear touch ID.

Yeah… that's a misconception. Fingerprints are a lot more common than people think. There's at least one other person who has your fingerprints, if not more.

 

[actcyclist]

Can I use Apple Pay at the grocery store, if I'm wearing a Burkha?

 

[BvizioN]

I'll believe it when I see it. An incorrect scan once a week is enough of a convenience for me to never purchase.

You are making it sound as Touch ID would never fail!
Like with wet fingers etc?

 

[zmagas]

I wonder if it will catch your face from the side angle.

My use case would be in car use mounted on the kenu airframe air vent mount.

 

[mwiz123]

As I’m reading about how FaceID of will keep the screen lit when looking at it... my phone desires to dim.... never know I wanted that feature but I do now!

 

[ColdShadow]

Sunglasses could be a big deal.

Same can be said about gloves for touch id.

 

[Sylvan]

To those who are hopeful that TouchID will eventually be implemented under the screen, I say don't hold your breath. Apple is marketing Face ID as the future, more secure, better than Touch ID, etc. Even if they were able to make Touch ID work under the screen in a lab I bet they would just sit on it. They've made their decision and Face ID is the future. For better or for worse.

 

[kstotlani]

If they had the fingerprint reader embedded in the display (like the original plan) it would have been a better user experience. 1 step for Apple Pay with fingerprint scanner, not 2 (Authentication then power button twice) is the perfect example. JMHO...

This will get alot of people as a get through, but Apple, please don't stop getting the fingerprint scanner working through the display for next years iPhones.

My worry is that they dissed the Touch ID as insecure by saying it has 1-50000 chances of being non unique. Once you mention this how do you bring back the Touch ID. Wouldn't it mean bringing back a less secure implementation.
[doublepost=1505369956][/doublepost]

Entering a passcode all the time would be a pain. They need to implement unlock like android does. You can set locations where the phone remains unlocked all the time. So if you are at home, the phone will not lock if you designate that location.

I didn't know about this feature. Sure it will take a lot from the battery but nice to have this feature.
[doublepost=1505370601][/doublepost]

Yeah… that's a misconception. Fingerprints are a lot more common than people think. There's at least one other person who has your fingerprints, if not more.

It is not as simple. I had read somewhere that it's 1 in 64 million that two people can have the same print but obvious difference is that Touch ID doesn't take an entire print. It barely does the top of the finger. This increases the probability. There are various other factors but I would still think Touch ID should be more secure. Just look at the explanation in this article - I don't remember reading such things about Touch ID.
[doublepost=1505370687][/doublepost]

To those who are hopeful that TouchID will eventually be implemented under the screen, I say don't hold your breath. Apple is marketing Face ID as the future, more secure, better than Touch ID, etc. Even if they were able to make Touch ID work under the screen in a lab I bet they would just sit on it. They've made their decision and Face ID is the future. For better or for worse.

This.

 

[Piggie]

I don't understand........

So Face ID notices chances in your face, you shaved off your beard etc?
But it only stores 1 face for 1 person.

Do those two contradict each other?
[doublepost=1505371066][/doublepost]

Go look up some early threads when Touch Id was announced. Significant complaints and annoyances without anyone even using it.

This has nothing to do with blindly defending all things Apple (I'm happy to criticize them). This is thinking logically about what Apple is trying to do - showing the future of the iPhone. And along with removing bezels and a home button they've moved to what they're working toward being a more secure form of biometric security.

Apple can only do what others make for them.
But they don't admit it.

They could of got up on stage and honestly said:

"Thanks to our friends as Samsung, and some requirements we gave them, they were able to make this amazing screen for us to include in our new iPhoneX"

Apple will just wait till touch under screen is developed by someone else into a working mass production reality, and the Apple will be able to use it in a future Apple assembled device.
[doublepost=1505371183][/doublepost]

To those who are hopeful that TouchID will eventually be implemented under the screen, I say don't hold your breath. Apple is marketing Face ID as the future, more secure, better than Touch ID, etc. Even if they were able to make Touch ID work under the screen in a lab I bet they would just sit on it. They've made their decision and Face ID is the future. For better or for worse.

Is almost everyone else starts to offer Touch ID under screen, I suspect Apple would cave in eventually just as it did with Large Screens, Water resistance, Stereo speakers, OLED screen, Wireless charging etc.
[doublepost=1505371347][/doublepost]

When I’m riding my motorcycle and want to pull over to check directions, I’ll have to take my sunglasses and helmet off to activate FaceID. Or when I’m on the hill during the winter and want to pull my iPhone out to take a shot, I’ll also have to take my helmet and goggles off. Or even better, I’ll just have to stare at my iPhone in the mornings instead of just picking it up and placing my finger on it. All so I can look at an almost edge to edge screen that has an annoying notch on one side. Fantastic.

Excellent, I never even thought about that.
As you say a full face crash helmet is a pain to take on/off, esp if you wear glasses.

Interested to find out the reality for those who ride bikes

 

[carrrrrlos]

But you’re getting one, right?

Only for dev purposes. Will keep my 7+ as a daily. Although I was looking forward to a larger screen with a smaller form factor for the anniversary iPhone. The notch just kills it for me, I really was hoping all the rumor renderings with the notch were wrong.

 

[teragon]

Also works with most sunglasses :

Source (if you speak French) :
iPhone X : Face ID avec un casque et des lunettes de soleil ? Craig nous répond !
http://mac4ever.com/125014/
http://mac4ever.com/125014/

 

[recoil80]

Sunglasses could be a big deal.

If it doesn't work with sunglasses is a fail.
During summer I always have them on during the day, having to type in the pass code every now and then would be a huge step backwards.
I guess we'll find out in a couple of months

 

[Robstevo]

That’s an old wives tale.

Can you please provide me a link to say we don't have unique finger prints? Also you might have to tell all law inforcement and legal people they have got t wrong

 

[doelcm82]

Only for dev purposes. Will keep my 7+ as a daily. Although I was looking forward to a larger screen with a smaller form factor for the anniversary iPhone. The notch just kills it for me, I really was hoping all the rumor renderings with the notch were wrong.

Do you usually do development wearing a motorcycle helmet? I'm asking because that's the scenario that had you upset.

 

[iamtheonlyone4ever]

now seriously if the person suffer some kind of accident that causes some partial temporary disfiguration like being bruise and heavely swollen then they won't be able to use their phone if they have face id on, until their face go back to normal, but what about a permanent disfiguration like a car accident that changes the shape of your face or your head. what about drastically burning your face, you can call apple but i'm sure they are not going to help, the only way to access your data is if you have it in you iCloud drive then you can use your mac or any other device to access that data using your apple id, but if you have 2SA or 2FA enable in the device that has face id enable then how can you allow the other device to access you account, unless by some miracle you already gave permission to that device before, if you clean your history in safari then you have to the whole process again. allow and trust

 

[Abazigal]

Isn’t it funny how pretty much every “concern” brought up over the past few months was demolished one by one during the keynote?

 

[iamtheonlyone4ever]

Joking aside, does anyone know the power spectrum of the infrared laser that constantly exposes the user's face?

This because I cannot find anything about this on the iPhone X technical specifications.

There is a NIH report published at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3116568/
"Effect of infrared radiation on the lens"
Finding: The protein of eye lens is very sensitive to IR radiation which is hazardous and may lead to cataract.

Given the constant use of iPhones, and now FaceID, your joke about face scanning 24/7 may be no joke.

hi first i didn't want to cause a panic or ruin the party that's why i said it like that in form of a joke, while it might be speculative maybe there is some true behind it, studies has to be made about this and that will require time, most people don't even pay attention this kind of stuff and they just plain ignore it, everything in excess is dangerous, while you can have a X ray once a year and is fine, getting an X ray everyday can be bad news, also there are some other aspect to consider besides just the physical aspect, like what effects might cause on the behavior, many people don't like to talk about this but phones put people in wandering state , unaware of their surrounding, distracted etc, that's why you see them crossing the street like zombies looking down at their iPhones not even considering the possibility that they can get easily run over. there a lot more info about all this but i'm sure that if you look for it you will find it, regards
[doublepost=1505378432][/doublepost]

for security reasons you have to swipe with your fingers when you use FaceID. So if that action is needed, might as well use Touch ID...right?

i also noticed that, so face id might be useless and they are actually using touch id and face id is a fake false feature that doesn't work alone by itself, the way it should be is that you don't need to swipe, so the swipe is telling you the true and exposing them