iPhone 8 Infrared Face Detection and General Device Design Revealed in HomePod Firmware

[architect1337]

Not sure how it will work on the Apple platform, but on the Microsoft Surface platform, it works like this.

Windows Hello uses face recognitions and falls back to a PIN.
You walk up to a Surface, sit down and you're already logged in. It doesn't remove the splash screen though so anything you were working on is still private. You hit a key or swipe up to remove the splash screen. If you are not recognised, you just have to enter the PIN. You can train it for different light conditions, if you have glasses on etc. It seems to work by detecting IRIS and blood vessel patterns in and around the eyes. Sunglasses don't work.

On a Windows 10 Phone, it's similar in that you point the phone to your face and it logs you in. It can take a second or so - so that's one of the issues if time is a problem. Also - if the phone is on a desk, it can be awkward to look over the phone. This is why PIN is still available (and fingerprint on HP Elite x3).

After having used it for a couple of years, it's frankly, not that amazing. It works, you do get used to it but it seems to blend in. It is weird when I come back to the Mac - to have to enter a full password every time I want to log in but with Touch ID, I don't get that issue on iPad.

 

[prowlmedia]

You don't know what Apple have planned, lets not forget they will have been working on it for years. This always happens every time they introduce a new technology people get all worked up, complain, Apple get on stage announce it, people realise it's not as bad as they were thinking and then pre-order the phone, then the cycle starts all over again.

The problem is a fingerprint never changes* The only thing that phases touchID are gloves

A face - glasses / sunglasses / beards / moustache / sunglasses / goggles / Birkas / hoods

People have suggested retina detection but surely that would mean close up sensor?

The main problem is how it's used in reality... what about public transport? On the London Underground I get phone out double tap home and tap the reader and gate opens. Don't even have to look at the phone which is important when there are stairs and platforms and people. You can look at a phone for it to authenticate.

*has anyone stripped their prints using cardboard moving boxes? Like sandpapering your fingers!!!

 

[Dave245]

The problem is a fingerprint never changes* The only thing that phases touchID are gloves

A face - glasses / sunglasses / beards / moustache / sunglasses / goggles / Birkas / hoods

People have suggested retina detection but surely that would mean close up sensor?

The main problem is how it's used in reality... what about public transport? On the London Underground I get phone out double tap home and tap the reader and gate opens. Don't even have to look at the phone which is important when there are stairs and platforms and people. You can look at a phone for it to authenticate.

*has anyone stripped their prints using cardboard moving boxes? Like sandpapering your fingers!!!

Again we don't know what Apple are planning and how long they have been looking into and working on all of this (it's very likely to have been years in the making) I'm sure they have looked at all kinds of situations, they have probably given prototypes out to Apple staff to test in the real world.

Touch ID is a great feature, but don't forget we are thinking about facial recognition like we did with finger prints (remember the amount of worries people have before Touch ID came out) and Apple changed the game with Touch ID, yes there were other finger prints systems before Touch ID Apple didn't invent it, BUT they did make it great and they did find a way to implement it in a way that now millions of people love it! i'm sure they will do the same with Facial recognition.

 

[adrianlondon]

I've no idea if it's possible, but maybe the infrared face detector thing can also read fingerprints.

I remember reading an article about Apple filing some kind of patent that would use an infrared fingerprint reader somehow built into OLED screens, but I've no idea of it's the same thing. Sounds similar at least

 

[Azzin]

I may be a bit blinkered, but I still think that Apple will still have a "Tadaah" moment and unveil a revolutionary method of implementing Touch ID in/on/under the screen.

 

[Stlcheer]

I'm not giving up hope that we will see some form of Touch ID but I'm interested to see how this face unlock will work.

 

[kdarling]

The problem is a fingerprint never changes* The only thing that phases touchID are gloves

Which was and still is a concern to millions of users who need gloves for a good part of the year. Yet that didn't stop Apple.

A face - glasses / sunglasses / beards / moustache / sunglasses / goggles / Birkas / hoods

Facial hair is okay. Glasses usually are too. Sunglasses can be a problem, but can also be part of the training if you wear the same set all the time. And if I'm wearing googles I'm probably wearing gloves too

People have suggested retina detection but surely that would mean close up sensor?

Not that close. Arm distance.

I remember reading an article about Apple filing some kind of patent that would use an infrared fingerprint reader somehow built into OLED screens, but I've no idea of it's the same thing. Sounds similar at least

You remember correctly about the screen. The idea would be to embed near-IR sensors between the display pixels, which would be used not for actual fingerprint reading, but for finger geometry sensing.

 

[Mac 128]

This is where I'm thinking they are headed. Just think about sitting at your desk and your Mac pre authenticates before you even touch the keyboard, sounds really great to me.
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Most likely will just use their eyes lol, but what you said was still funny to think about

You've heard about the company that's offering to implant chips into their employees for building access and snack purchases? That may be where this is heading. Not a piece of jewelry, but an actual chip implanted under the skin that authorizes all of your devices. Frankly it's really the only way to go to ensure full, flawless functionality in any situation...

 

[bluespark]

You don't know what Apple have planned, lets not forget they will have been working on it for years. This always happens every time they introduce a new technology people get all worked up, complain, Apple get on stage announce it, people realise it's not as bad as they were thinking and then pre-order the phone, then the cycle starts all over again.

That cycle has happened, so it's possible you are correct. But I and many others still haven't gotten over our beloved headphone jacks, so it's not inevitable that change will be easier than expected. On this, I'll take your advice, though, and will hope for the best.

 

[Dave245]

That cycle has happened, so it's possible you are correct. But I and many others still haven't gotten over our beloved headphone jacks, so it's not inevitable that change will be easier than expected. On this, I'll take your advice, though, and will hope for the best.

I'm not saying that we are going to agree with everything that Apple does, i've just seen the trend for a while now to know not to go all in on rumours, when Apple announce the new iPhone i'm sure they will talk about a lot of people's fears especially on privacy. Sometimes it's about adapting, if Apple kept things the way they were nothing would move forward and there would be no innovation.

Regarding the facial recognition Apple have been working on it for quite some time (a decade according to this article http://bgr.com/2017/07/13/iphone-8-features-3d-facial-recognition/) but also it appears Apple have put a lot of thought into it with recent leaks (code that a developer has found) saying that the facial recognition system (codenamed Pearl ID) has features with info-red and that the "feature should let you unlock your iPhone in the dark, even if you're looking at your phone from a weird angle with your face partially blocked"

I think this is going to be a BIG feature and something that Apple is going to want to talk a bit about on stage at the keynote next month, i for one are looking forward to it

 

[44267547]

Actually it's a screen shot from everythingapplepro video

Link to the Article :-

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/first-silver-iphone-8-images-surface.2059178/

Here is the video :-

Although 'EverythingApplePro' is somewhat more known Over trash like BGR and iDrop, It's complete click bait with falsely generated renders with non existent colors or made up color names like "Jet White." It's garbage to gain to clicks. I'm not disparaging against your preference here, but its about as relevant as any other non-credited source.

 

[Paul6s]

Why? Because 8 is a lucky number and millions of Chinese will buy it just for that. Tim Cook won't miss this opportunity. The name is all but guaranteed.

I would like it to be called iPhone 8 but I find it hard to see how the 8 will be released next to the 7s at the same time. Unless of course there is no 7s and we end up with an 8 and 8 plus. There was mention about a 6.5 inch iOS device in the accidental Apple leak. At this point only God knows what Apple has in store for us next month.

 

[Gudi]

I would like it to be called iPhone 8 but I find it hard to see how the 8 will be released next to the 7s at the same time.

Apple is not shy to defy its own naming conventions whenever it suits them. iPads become Airs and Pros just to advertise one new feature. These suffixes are not meant to separate different categories of iPads, more importantly they differentiate old from new iPads. Once all new iPads were Airs, but now Airs are old and all new iPads are Pros. A bezelless iPhone needs a new name for advertising purposes alone. The name could be anything, but it can't include the number 7. iPhone 7s would not be radically different enough to celebrate the new form factor. The s-variants simply exist to lower the expectations for a new design every year. Otherwise we would be at iPhone 10th generation by now, excluding the iPhone 5c, SE and the three Plus variants. The iPhone 8 could well be the iPhone 16, but that wouldn't be smart marketing wise. Some of these names like 3GS and SE are only used once, but they serve a purpose in communication with the customer.

I wouldn't be surprised if the next iPhone would be called the iPhone ∞ Infinity.

 

[Paul6s]

Apple is not shy to defy its own naming conventions whenever it suits them. iPads become Airs and Pros just to advertise one new feature. These suffixes are not meant to separate different categories of iPads, more importantly they differentiate old from new iPads. Once all new iPads were Airs, but now Airs are old and all new iPads are Pros. A bezelless iPhone needs a new name for advertising purposes alone. The name could be anything, but it can't include the number 7. iPhone 7s would not be radically different enough to celebrate the new form factor. The s-variants simply exist to lower the expectations for a new design every year. Otherwise we would be at iPhone 10th generation by now, excluding the iPhone 5c, SE and the three Plus variants. The iPhone 8 could well be the iPhone 16, but that wouldn't be smart marketing wise. Some of these names like 3GS and SE are only used once, but they serve a purpose in communication with the customer.

I wouldn't be surprised if the next iPhone would be called the iPhone ∞ Infinity.

Good point! I am leaning towards the name iphone pro. Even though deep inside I'd rather they call it the iPhone 8. Can't get any more premium than that this year!