What You Need to Know About Face ID on IPhone X
The full-screen display on the iPhone X may be the first thing you’ll notice in a new device, but Apple’s redesigned front camera deserves your attention too. Maybe even more.
Apple is using the iPhone X to implement the fingerprint scanning standard introduced with Touch ID and replace it with face scanning technology. Face ID is more secure (at least in Apple’s opinion), and it brings some cool new features to the $ 999 smartphone as well as privacy concerns that you would expect to see face scanning technology around . Here’s what you need to know.
How it works
Face ID is powered by the new TrueDepth camera system, which integrates many technologies into a small strip at the top of the screen. This includes the regular front camera, infrared camera, spot projector, spotlight, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor.
When you look at your phone, the spotlight will recognize your face. The infrared camera then takes the IR image, and the spot projector uses over 30,000 IR dots to create the bitmap. Both datasets are sent to the new A11 Bionic iPhone chip, which uses a neural network trained on over a billion images to compare them with a mathematical model of your face already stored on the device.
All of this should happen quickly and seamlessly, according to Apple. The whole process must be invisible to the human eye and work in the dark.
It’s worth noting, though, that Face ID can be a little glitchy at first, and Apple really struggled to use it at some point during Tuesday’s event. To be fair, Touch ID has improved over time, and Face ID will likely do the same. But you may be taking a bit of a risk if you make the switch this year by purchasing the iPhone X as soon as it becomes available.
Better security than Touch ID
The biggest reason for using Face ID might be to improve your security. Touch ID has proven not to be tamper-proof , and Apple says face scanning technology is a big improvement. According to Apple, only one in a million people will be able to tamper with your device using Face ID, compared to one in 50,000 for Touch ID.
As with Touch ID, all of your Face ID data is stored locally on a secure partition on the A11 processor. This means that it is not transmitted to Apple’s servers, where it can be targeted by hackers.
Apple also noted that Face ID cannot be fooled by a picture or a mask. The company even trained its new software with some incredibly realistic masks just in case.
Augmented reality and other features
The same sensors that use Face ID will also support some interesting new features, especially when it comes to augmented reality. Snapchat is already developing new filters that use the TrueDepth system, such as this face mask, which perfectly synchronizes with your facial movements.
Apple also showcased Animoji, a new messaging feature that lets you record video messages as one of 12 different emojis (yes, poop emojis are included). It’s a fun new feature and a good example of what’s possible with Face ID.
These new features may seem like gimmicks at the moment, but if Apple opens up its Face ID technology to third-party developers, the possibilities could be endless.
First, the company just needs to prove its face scanning system is good enough to replace the fingerprint scanners we’re all used to.