Face Unlock on Google’s Pixel 4 is less secure than the iPhone’s Face ID, but it does have one feature I’d like to see Apple copy: Skip Lock Screen.
Copying that would be perfectly fair, as Google has recently confirmed that it will be copying at least part of Face ID’s Require Attention feature…
In-screen Touch ID could be appearing in iPhones as early as next year, according to a new report today. But while the current report suggests that both Touch ID and Face ID fans will be catered for, that may not remain the case for long.
The debate between the respective fans of Touch ID and Face ID began when Apple launched the iPhone X, the first iPhone to be launched without the fingerprint reader since it made its debut on the iPhone 5S in 2013.
With the iPhone X launch, Apple seemed pretty clear that Face ID was the future of iPhone authentication. It is, says Apple, faster, easier, and more secure than Touch ID…
At the Black Hat security conference today, researchers demonstrated a unique way to bypass Face ID authentication. The foundation of the bypass is a pair of glasses with tape on them, and the Attention Detection feature of Face ID.
We first reported on an Apple patent for Face ID on Macs back in 2017, before we knew what Apple would call the feature when it debuted in the iPhone X. That patent has today been granted.
The patent is for a more intelligent version of Face ID than is currently used on iPhones…
A new report today suggests that Apple is bringing back Touch ID to iPhones. Unlike a sketchier report last month, this one says that under-display Touch ID will not replace Face ID, but rather supplement it, with 2021 iPhones able to be unlocked using either method.
The report certainly cannot be dismissed out of hand. While analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doesn’t have a perfect track-record, he has a far better one than most. Deep dives into Apple’s supply-chain means that he often has visibility on upcoming developments…
Face ID supplier AMS, which makes optical sensor tech used in the iPhone X family of phones, says that it expects ‘a strong second half of this year.’
AMS was one of the companies to give an early clue to lower-than-expected iPhone sales in the holiday quarter, when it lowered its estimates and strongly hinted that iPhone orders were the reason …
It seems a given that Apple will bring Face ID to Macs sooner rather than later, now that the tech has been extended from iPhones to iPads too. We’ve today seen the latest in a series of Apple patent applications to do just that.
But the patent also suggests the Touch Bar could be coming to Magic Keyboards …
A new Apple patent application suggests that the company has boosted the security of Face ID in order to defeat the attack method demonstrated in 2017, when a specially-designed 3D-printed mask was able to unlock an iPhone X.
The attack was a sophisticated one, meaning that ordinary users didn’t have much to fear, but the security researchers did suggest that high-profile targets – like company CEOs – might want to avoid using Face ID …
Two Apple suppliers this morning, Lumentum and AMS, are reporting weak revenues ailed by weakening global smartphone sales, particularly hurt by the slowdown within China. The latter of the two, AMS, struggled on an earnings call predicated with a guidance revision, seeing a 58% decline in quarterly profits YoY alongside a dividend suspension.
A WhatsApp update yesterday added the option of using Face ID to protect your chats, and that’s an option I think could be usefully added to other apps – including some of Apple’s own.
One could question the value. After all, locking your phone protects all your apps, so why bother offering app-by-app protection too … ?
Popular Facebook-owned chat service WhatsApp has updated its iOS app today with support for biometric authentication, allowing users to ‘lock’ the app with Face ID or Touch ID. Although the feature does not work on a per chat basis, enabling the feature does add an extra layer of security to your private WhatsApp conversations.
Several months ago, we heard of the first known case of law enforcement requiring a suspect to unlock their phone with Face ID. Forbes reports today, however, that a California judge has ruled that, even with a warrant, the government can’t force people to unlock their devices via biometric features.
Apple supplier AMS, which provides optical sensors for face recognition features on the iPhone, today announced a new “behind OLED” light and infrared proximity sensor. As reported by Reuters, the new sensor could pave the way for completely bezel-less displays.
It can only be a matter of time before Apple adds Face ID to MacBooks, but the question is: what approach should the company take?
Apple has applied two different solutions to iPhones and iPads. For iPhones, Apple opted for super-slim bezels and a notch to house the TrueDepth cameras and other sensors. For the iPad, the company instead chose to keep the bezels thick enough to house the module.
Should it adopt the iPad solution for MacBooks, or should it copy an approach seen in one of the latest Asus laptops … ?
Apple’s television advertisements have earned three places on Adweek’s 25 Best Ads of 2018 annual list, which highlights the best media ads ranging from print to film. Apple’s highest spot ranking on the list, #2, was for its Spike Jonze directed-critically acclaimed ‘Welcome Home’ ad.
This isn’t the first time the company has seen massive celebration over the HomePod advert, with Adweek previously conducting a highly featured behind-the-scenes video.
Finisar, a key supplier for Apple’s Face ID system, is to be acquired by optical systems company II-VI, Inc.
Apple last year reached a $390M deal with Finisar to safeguard its supply of key components for the Face ID system now used in the iPhone XS, iPhone XR and 2018 iPad Pro models …
A new note from reliable supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities today includes the prediction that next year’s iPhone lineup will bring upgrades to Face ID. He also includes a forecast for the next round of iPads — before the newly announced iPads even reach customers.
Earlier this month, the first known case of law enforcement requiring a suspect to unlock their phone using Face ID surfaced. Now, Motherboard reports that cops around the United States are receiving instruction to ensure they themselves do not look at an iPhone X or iPhone XS displays, as that could count as one of the ‘false’ trials, and thus disable Face ID.
Customer experience tests of three recent iPhone ads find that Baby Boomers – those aged 55 plus – find them annoying and worrying.
The tests were carried out by UserTesting, who also explained why Apple likely made the decision to run the ads despite knowing the effect they would have on older people …
Most iPhone X owners say they’d never want to go back from Face ID to Touch ID, and can’t wait for it to be available on other devices.
It seems clear that Face ID is being added to the new iPad Pro models this year, while a fresh patent granted today points to the same technology coming to the Mac somewhere down the line …
While not officially mentioned anywhere, iOS 12 will now let more than one user register their face on a single iPhone X. Since Face ID was introduced, it has been limited to one person’s face.
We know from both a succession of patents and Apple statements that the company was exploring a Touch ID sensor embedded into the screen of the iPhone before it settled on Face ID for last year’s flagship iPhone …
Apple’s iPhone X is an ambitious device that changed the fundamentals on how to use an iPhone. It got rid of the big bezels and the Home button, which also means losing Touch ID.