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Apple wins patent for in-screen Touch ID and Face ID

Patent for in-screen Touch ID and Face ID

Early rumors about the iPhone 14 suggest that Apple plans to lose the notch next year, with in-screen Touch ID or Face ID two possible ways to achieve this. A patent granted today describes how both forms of biometric authentication could be embedded into the display.

It would even be possible to embed the front-facing camera into the screen, though this is likely to be a later development…

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Comment: Moving beyond passwords will happen much faster thanks to Apple’s latest move

Moving beyond passwords

I’ve argued for years that moving beyond passwords is something that urgently needs to happen from both a security and usability perspective.

The technical framework to make it possible to abandon passwords – WebAuthn – was agreed back in 2018, and Apple added support for it in Safari last year. Adoption is as yet close to zero, but all that looks set to change, thanks to the latest move by Apple …

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Apple opens testing for passwordless Face ID future with ‘passkeys in iCloud Keychain’ preview

In the years ahead, passwords, as we know them, will become a thing of the past. However, that change won’t happen overnight and will take a concerted effort from lots of different parties, including the major tech giants. At WWDC, Apple announced how it’s moving toward a more secure and easy-to-use passwordless authentication powered by WebAuthn and Face ID/Touch ID with the preview of passkeys in iCloud Keychain.

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Another Apple patent application for under-screen Touch ID, using reflected light

Will iPhone 13 offer under-screen Touch ID

There have been multiple suggestions that Apple plans to adopt under-screen Touch ID for the iPhone 13, given that masks have greatly reduced the usefulness of Face ID. The company already has a bunch of patents for different ways to pull this off, and has today applied for an interesting new one.

Apple explains that optical fingerprint reading can be unreliable for two reasons, and explains how it would address these …

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Face ID for Mac ‘developed’ by Apple but not coming soon; 5G same

We’ve long expected Apple to offer Face ID for Mac models, just as it does for the iPhone and iPad Pro. Bloomberg’s report on an upcoming higher-end MacBook Air has a mix of good and bad news on this front.

Another feature some have long wanted for MacBooks is the ability to connect to mobile data directly when Wi-Fi isn’t available. The report says the position is the same for both features: They are coming, but not soon …

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Another report of smaller notch in this year’s iPhones; sensor-shift OIS, too

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A new report today echoes earlier ones that this year’s iPhones – possibly named the iPhone 12S – will have a smaller notch.

We’re expecting the design of this year’s models to be very similar to the iPhone 12, but a MacOtakara report earlier in the month suggested that Apple would manage to shrink the screen notch …

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Apple surveys iPhone users on Face ID opinions, USB cable in the box

Earlier this year, before the announcement of the iPhone 12, Apple surveyed some users about how they use the USB power adapter that used to come in the iPhone box. The company is once again asking for the opinion of its consumers, this time to find out if iPhone users are unsatisfied with Face ID and if they use the USB cable that comes with every iPhone.

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Comment: As face recognition bans grow, care is needed by legislators

Face recognition bans growing

We’re seeing a growing number of face recognition bans introduced around the world as local and national legislators respond to growing public unease over the privacy implications.

We’ve seen bans on public agencies or police departments using face recognition technology, and now one US city has gone even further, extending a ban to private companies too …

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Exclusive: Want Face ID on the Mac? macOS Big Sur suggests the TrueDepth camera is coming

Some iPhone and iPad models feature Face ID, which allows users to unlock the device through advanced facial recognition. While Face ID is not yet available on any Mac, 9to5Mac found references to the TrueDepth camera on macOS Big Sur, which suggests Apple is working to bring facial recognition to its computers.


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iPhone how to change passcode, skip Face ID, more

iPhone: How to change passcode, skip Face ID to enter passcode, more

With Apple’s iPhones that rely on Face ID for security, the pandemic has created a clunkier experience since masks create problems with facial recognition. Since most users have to enter their passcode every time they unlock their iPhones, follow along for how to change your passcode to a shorter one, skip right from Face ID to enter your passcode, and some other tips and tricks.


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Face ID support SignEasy digital signing app iPhone iPad

SignEasy becomes first digital signing app to support Face ID for completing documents

Signing documents digitally is becoming more and more common and that will only increase as cities and countries around the world adapt to shelter-in-place orders. SignEasy is out today with an update that makes it the first digital signing service to support Apple’s Face ID to not only unlock the app but also to complete the signing process.


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C’mon Apple, stop making me choose between avoiding Coronavirus and easily unlocking my iPhone in China

Corona virus Face ID trouble China

It’s tough out there, people. Thousands have been infected with the novel Coronavirus in China, millions are under lockdown, airplanes are grounded, and borders tightened. It’s like we’ve gone back to the bubonic plague — or more accurately, gone back to the iPhone 5s!

Let me explain… I know it’s not too common for people to be out and about wearing masks in public in the United States, but it’s fairly common over here in Asia. The thinking behind it is actually to prevent you, the mask-wearer, from spreading your diseased germs to other, healthy, happy people. So if you show up in Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur or Taipei or any other Asian city and begin sneezing without a mask on, there’s a good chance you’ll get a nasty side-eye from a local.

The Coronavirus, obviously, is different: doctors are recommending people wear masks to prevent coming into contact with the “novel” virus, thus keeping yourself safe. But the masks cover a huge portion of your face (even a big face, like mine) basically invalidating Face ID. I know, I know, this sounds very trivial, and it is. But trivial and annoying have long conspired together to cause great anger and frustration.


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San Francisco accidentally made it illegal for city employees to use iPhones

city employees to use iPhones

San Francisco accidentally made it illegal for city employees to use iPhones with Face ID after it banned the use of face recognition technology in May. The city had to amend the law last week to make iPhones legal to use.

San Francisco isn’t the only city to have discovered this issue with bans intended to outlaw the indiscriminate use of face recognition on the street for public and corporate surveillance…


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