Next Year's iPhone Said to Include Iris Scanner to Authenticate With Your Eyes

[maflynn]

All these rumored features for the iphone 8, while sounding cool and I hope Apple does implement them have already been done by others, in some years previously.

I think Apple gotten to the point of playing too safe and not embracing some cutting edge technology.

 

[DCIFRTHS]

It's an iris scanner being discussed people. Not a retina scanner as has been referenced 50 times already. These are indeed two different parts of the eye!

Exactly. I won't let anyone but a doctor scan my retina. I have it done once a year, and I don't see this being mainstream anytime soon. Way too expensive to be done properly. I'm sure someone will link me to an portable, in expensive solution, but again, I value my sight too much for a $1K device.

Not interested in an iris scanner either. I'm just plain and simply AFRAID of anything going near my eyes, Forget about the thought of infrared, or whatever they will use, bombarding my eyes. Paranoid? Yes. Embarrassed about it? No.

Touch ID forever 🙂
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OK, I have a lumia 950 phone that uses the iris scanning, so here's some info.

You "train" it just like the finger print scan. Doing several times it with different lighting improves accuracy.
It does work with contact lenses, but I don't know about colored contacts since I don't wear those
It does work with or without glasses (you can train it both ways if you want but I didn't)
It does work with sunglasses unless they are mirrored.
Distance does affect the scan
Bright lighting seems to affect it also, but I haven't trained it outside in bright light, so that might improve things.

Overall, it is ok, I do prefer touch ID since I don't have to hold my phone near my face and in the car touch ID is really much better

Does it take a picture of your iris, or does it use any type of invisible light (infrared etc.) to scan the iris?

 

[iMi]

I have Lumia 950XL and it works flawlessly most of the times.....with glasses on that too in dark environments....

Good to hear!

How do you like the Lumina?

 

[maxsix]

Yet another reason to wait!

True.

That's what Apple does, wait and copy Samsung.

It's Magical and Revolutionary 😱

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

You believe wrong. I'm a twin and my brother can't access my computer nor I is despite being 100% identical.

Yeah I just make this crap up because I enjoy getting told I'm wrong when I'm just relating news stories that tell about security deficiencies. Besides, who the hell told you that identical twins are 100% identical? Guess what? You're not.

PROOF Face recognition has flaws:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/researcher...-using-3d-faces-based-facebook-photos-1577301

Next time look into it before you tell someone they're wrong. 😵

 

[Ramchi]

Good to hear!

How do you like the Lumina?

It is really good for me so far, I never faced any issues so far (initially it was having some issues, now it is butter smooth) though I never pushed its limits like a power user with gaming etc...

One Drive integration is really good, it is Dual SIM with expandable memory, good display, an excellent camera module (4K video), app ecosystem pretty much satisfies my needs (CamScanner, MS office, PicsArt, WA, FB other social sites are decent). It was expensive when I bought it last December. I don't use the Continuum as such.

Overall I am happy.

 

[kdarling]

Exactly. I won't let anyone but a doctor scan my retina. I have it done once a year, and I don't see this being mainstream anytime soon. Way too expensive to be done properly.

Fortunately, this is an iris scanner instead. Much less expensive and not invasive.

Electronics magazines are saying that factories are gearing up to produce zillions of dedicated iris camera modules, and in a couple of years, almost every phone might have one.

Not interested in an iris scanner either. I'm just plain and simply AFRAID of anything going near my eyes, Forget about the thought of infrared, or whatever they will use, bombarding my eyes. Paranoid? Yes. Embarrassed about it? No.

I think you should be very embarrassed to be afraid before you find out how something works. Wait until you find out, THEN you can be afraid it it's warranted 😀

Does it take a picture of your iris, or does it use any type of invisible light (infrared etc.) to scan the iris?

See, now asking questions is the right spirit.

It illuminates your face with IR light. This has the following benefits: it allows the camera to see features in darkly colored eyes; it doesn't blind you like a visible light would; it works in the dark.

While there are iris scanning apps that use the regular front-facing camera, Samsung (and others) use a dedicated camera which is tuned to the subtle IR illumination it uses.

We're bombarded all our lives with IR light, from the sun, to photograph flashes, to remote control reflections, to smartphone sensors to see if we're holding a phone to our face.

Heck, over half of the energy that arrives from the sun, is in the IR range. So if IR illumination of our face is a problem, we've been in trouble for eons.

 

[Mac 128]

OK, I have a lumia 950 phone that uses the iris scanning, so here's some info.

You "train" it just like the finger print scan. Doing several times it with different lighting improves accuracy.
It does work with contact lenses, but I don't know about colored contacts since I don't wear those
It does work with or without glasses (you can train it both ways if you want but I didn't)
It does work with sunglasses unless they are mirrored.
Distance does affect the scan
Bright lighting seems to affect it also, but I haven't trained it outside in bright light, so that might improve things.

Overall, it is ok, I do prefer touch ID since I don't have to hold my phone near my face and in the car touch ID is really much better

Yes but this would solve the problem perfectly for the Watch, not to mention another justification for having a camera.

 

[iMi]

It is really good for me so far, I never faced any issues so far (initially it was having some issues, now it is butter smooth) though I never pushed its limits like a power user with gaming etc...

One Drive integration is really good, it is Dual SIM with expandable memory, good display, an excellent camera module (4K video), app ecosystem pretty much satisfies my needs (CamScanner, MS office, PicsArt, WA, FB other social sites are decent). It was expensive when I bought it last December. I don't use the Continuum as such.

Overall I am happy.

That's awesome to hear. I'll have mine tomorrow. What carrier are you using? I am on T-mo and can't get a straight answer as to whether or not visual voicemail works (critically important for me). I know WiFi calling doesn't work but I really don't use it anyway.

 

[Loco Emperor]

Yeah I just make this crap up because I enjoy getting told I'm wrong when I'm just relating news stories that tell about security deficiencies. Besides, who the hell told you that identical twins are 100% identical? Guess what? You're not.

PROOF Face recognition has flaws:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/researcher...-using-3d-faces-based-facebook-photos-1577301

Next time look into it before you tell someone they're wrong. 😵

Except you were talking about Microsoft to which I replied how I did. I never said face recognitiOn was without flaws just that Microsoft implementation isn't as bad as you made it and is quite excellent.

As far as being identical completely to my brother, there is virtually no way to physically tell us apart outside of our own mannerisms and way we carry ourselves. We ourselves may not be 100% identical but physically we are and my windows hello can't allow him to log in for me.

 

[kaldezar]

Even if an iris scanner is employed, I don’t' see Apple doing away with the Touch ID. Its too easy and convenient to use when picking up the device and wanting to use it.

And of course iris scanners aren't going to work if your wearing dark sunglasses!

 

[NT1440]

All these rumored features for the iphone 8, while sounding cool and I hope Apple does implement them have already been done by others, in some years previously.

I think Apple gotten to the point of playing too safe and not embracing some cutting edge technology.

I have no problem with this. I'd want a fingerprint scanner that works comfortably (my girlfriend's g5 just feels like carpel tunnel is happening as I swipe my thumb in the most awkward direction I can imagine) or an iris scanner that is fast (likely accelerated by having dedicated silicon in the next security enclave).

I don't like half baked security that is so annoying that most people disable it. That's pointless and security theater more than anything.

 

[maflynn]

I'd want a fingerprint scanner that works comfortably

To a point I can agree, but the first gen of the touchid wasn't problem free, so much so, the 6s offers a better faster scanner. So in that case, apple waited, but rolled out something that was problematic for some.

With the loss of subsidies, its harder to justify dropping 700 dollars on a phone that has few if any updates - just my $.02

 

[iMi]

And of course iris scanners aren't going to work if your wearing dark sunglasses!

Not true actually. They use infrared light and users of the Lumia 950/950XL have reported that the iris scanner works, even with sunglasses on.

 

[Aniseedvan]

Not true actually. They use infrared light and users of the Lumia 950/950XL have reported that the iris scanner works, even with sunglasses on.

Yep - my 950XL works just fine with my dark sunglasses!

 

[DCIFRTHS]

Fortunately, this is an iris scanner instead. Much less expensive and not invasive.

I think you should be very embarrassed to be afraid before you find out how something works. Wait until you find out, THEN you can be afraid it it's warranted 😀

See, now asking questions is the right spirit.

I always ask questions. Guess my fear was posted before my question 🙂

It illuminates your face with IR light. This has the following benefits: it allows the camera to see features in darkly colored eyes; it doesn't blind you like a visible light would; it works in the dark.

...

We're bombarded all our lives with IR light, from the sun, to photograph flashes, to remote control reflections, to smartphone sensors to see if we're holding a phone to our face.

...

Heck, over half of the energy that arrives from the sun, is in the IR range. So if IR illumination of our face is a problem, we've been in trouble for eons.

This is what concerns me. Yes, we are exposed to all type of invisible radiation, all day, almost every where we go. Although I can; think of one that is focused at my eye. Since the human eye is not capable of seeing this spectrum of light, there is no blink response such as there is when you look at a light that is too bright. At this point in time, I wouldn't trust a consumer device to "bombard" my eye with light that could potentially damage it. I like my rods and cones 😉 I'll take the cautious approach, and wait it out.

The IR emitters from the sun, in remote controls, and smart phones are not focused at my eye, so I don't have a problem with them.
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To a point I can agree, but the first gen of the touchid wasn't problem free, so much so, the 6s offers a better faster scanner. So in that case, apple waited, but rolled out something that was problematic for some.

With the loss of subsidies, its harder to justify dropping 700 dollars on a phone that has few if any updates - just my $.02

This is my concern if Apple introduces a "Force Touch" home button that does not move. Hopefully there won't be a repeat of the alleged "touch disease" down the road...

 

[iMi]

Yep - my 950XL works just fine with my dark sunglasses!

I just received the Lumia 950XL yesterday. The iris scanning works great with sunglasses.

Overall, how do you like the Lumia?

I am struggling a little bit. The camera is by far the best out there, bar none. The overall Windows 10 Mobile experience is frankly best in class and possibly even better than iOS in my opinion. Tiles absolutely rock and the swipe to reveal alphabetized list of apps is brilliant. Even better, I can just delete any app right there from the list and I can remove just about any app! By comparison, iOS icons setup (now with 5 pages for me) seem disorganized and I can never find the app I want to use. On the other hand, on the iPhone at least I have apps for which to look!

The app situation with Windows is pretty bad. I'm not an app user either but stable apps I'm using are missing - Chase bank, Rover.com, AA.com and more. Mobile payment solution isn't there either and there is no way to retain payment information. Integration with Surface Pro 4 isn't the best either and many passwords don't work because the browser doesn't recognize mobile version of the site as the same one I saved on the laptop.

The screen on this thing is simply gorgeous. News apps are the best I've ever used. So, there is ton to love about this phone but I think I'll be returning it because of the shortcomings outlined.

How is your experience? Any tips or recommendations?

 

[kdarling]

The IR emitters from the sun, in remote controls, and smart phones are not focused at my eye, so I don't have a problem with them.

They're not lasers focused on your eye 🙂

Iris scanner illumination is done by IR LEDs casting a diffuse glow towards you. (Diffuse light gives better results than focused direct light, since that causes direct reflections that hide features.)

At about ten inches, we're talking 1 milliWatt of power on each iris. As I said, being outside exposes you to far more IR from the sun.

Furthermore...

Iris scanners must comply with international limits on the amount of power hitting the eye. (Eye danger comes if your eye is able to focus on any powerful enough light, which causes more power to transfer through to the back of the eye.)

But to be that powerful, an iris scanner illuminator light would have to be put very close to your eye (less than 1/2 inch), which is so close that the eye can no longer focus and thus the danger disappears all on its own.

Just to be sure, though, they use two other techniques: pulse the light so it's not continuous and thus less effective power, and/or sense the distance and lessen the power accordingly.

 

[DCIFRTHS]

They're not lasers focused on your eye 🙂

This I am aware of.

Iris scanner illumination is done by IR LEDs casting a diffuse glow towards you. (Diffuse light gives better results than focused direct light, since that causes direct reflections that hide features.)

At about ten inches, we're talking 1 milliWatt of power on each iris. As I said, being outside exposes you to far more IR from the sun.

Furthermore...

Iris scanners must comply with international limits on the amount of power hitting the eye. (Eye danger comes if your eye is able to focus on any powerful enough light, which causes more power to transfer through to the back of the eye.)

But to be that powerful, an iris scanner illuminator light would have to be put very close to your eye (less than 1/2 inch), which is so close that the eye can no longer focus and thus the danger disappears all on its own.

Just to be sure, though, they use two other techniques: pulse the light so it's not continuous and thus less effective power, and/or sense the distance and lessen the power accordingly.

I did not know that there were international limits that had to be followed. Pulsing the light, and sensing the distance are good things too.

Thanks for the info 🙂

 

[jimbo1mcm]

My iris hurts reading these comments

 

[Aniseedvan]

I just received the Lumia 950XL yesterday. The iris scanning works great with sunglasses.

Overall, how do you like the Lumia?

I am struggling a little bit. The camera is by far the best out there, bar none. The overall Windows 10 Mobile experience is frankly best in class and possibly even better than iOS in my opinion. Tiles absolutely rock and the swipe to reveal alphabetized list of apps is brilliant. Even better, I can just delete any app right there from the list and I can remove just about any app! By comparison, iOS icons setup (now with 5 pages for me) seem disorganized and I can never find the app I want to use. On the other hand, on the iPhone at least I have apps for which to look!

The app situation with Windows is pretty bad. I'm not an app user either but stable apps I'm using are missing - Chase bank, Rover.com, AA.com and more. Mobile payment solution isn't there either and there is no way to retain payment information. Integration with Surface Pro 4 isn't the best either and many passwords don't work because the browser doesn't recognize mobile version of the site as the same one I saved on the laptop.

The screen on this thing is simply gorgeous. News apps are the best I've ever used. So, there is ton to love about this phone but I think I'll be returning it because of the shortcomings outlined.

How is your experience? Any tips or recommendations?

Mine is used as a second phone, for work and as a wifi hotspot for other devices. I agree; app choice is dire, I couldn't use this as my only device, but I took this as my "camera" up Snowdon the other week (and left my camera safely locked away) and you honestly wouldn't know the pictures I took were from a phone, it really is the best phone cam I've ever had. Windows 10 mobile is a pleasant experience and continuum is a promising concept let down again by the apps.