Apple Said To Be Exploring Face Scanning Technology For The iPhone

According to freshly-minted rumors posted by Bloomberg, Apple is looking to do away with the iPhone’s tried-and-true fingerprint reader altogether, in favor of face-unlocking technology. The move would mark a major shift away from Touch ID, a mainstay in Apple phones since the introduction of the 5S, back in late-2013.

Apple Inc. is working on a feature that will let you unlock your iPhone using your face instead of a fingerprint. 

For its redesigned iPhone, set to go on sale later this year, Apple is testing an improved security system that allows users to log in, authenticate payments, and launch secure apps by scanning their face, according to people familiar with the product. This is powered by a new 3-D sensor, added the people, who asked not to be identified discussing technology that’s still in development. The company is also testing eye scanning to augment the 

The patent application describes a method in which a computing device could spot a user through the camera while in sleep mode, using very minimal power, and wake automatically based on the movement of that user toward the computing device.

The system would use three parameters (skin tone detection, face detection, and movement detection) to determine whether you’d like to actually use your device and that you are, indeed, you. When all parameters are met, the device would wake to welcome you.

Building the technology on 3D scanning would make it harder to spoof than a 2D solution, but even still, a feature tied this closely to payment authentication isn’t something Apple is going to want to rush to market. At very least, it could make sense for the company to keep Touch ID around for a generation as it irons any issues with the new technology.

Apple is also working on new augmented reality capabilities, Bloomberg News reported earlier this year. It’s unclear whether the new 3-D sensor will support AR features, or just focus on face and eye scanning for security and authentication. For now, Apple’s public AR work is focused on ARKit, a software platform for developers to make AR apps for iPhones.