New Biometric Authentication
The last couple of iterations of the iPhone included touch ID, taking advantage of each human’s unique fingerprint to protect and provide access to devices. Bloomberg recently reported Apple is testing facial recognition software using a 3D camera installed on the iPhone. If it works, 3D facial recognition will replace fingerprint IDs.
Apple applied for a patent for 3D facial recognition technology back in 2013 and has been working on the technology for more than a decade. If 3D facial recognition is not available on the next iPhone, Apple may do away with touch ID anyway, adding an “under the screen home button” like on the Samsung Galaxy. The Samsung Galaxy S8 already has facial recognition features so the pressure is on Apple to deliver.
The whole idea is to make it easier to access your devices. It used to be passwords and passcodes. Then it became touch ID, and the next logical step seems to be 3D facial recognition. Apple is expected to release iPhone 8 in September 2017 or maybe toward the end of the year. We’ll see.
A Forward Facing Scanner
Apple’s 3D facial recognition system is expected to have forward facing capability that would allow for gesture recognition or gesturing while the iPhone lays on a table. The phone is also expected to have eye tracking capabilities and maybe even an iris scanner.
According to engineers, Apple’s 3D facial recognition is an engine that is powered by a 3D sensor.
The following video, “iPhone 8: Hands on with Prototypes & Caes,” is a first look.
