3D face recognition could be a reality, says developer

We have been reading rumors for a while now, concerning the iPhone 8 which is slated to come with alternative unlocking methods. Now a code discovered in Apple’s HomePod firmware has confirmed that face recognition could most likely to be introduced.

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith had dissected the HomePod to discover what could an official confirmation that the iPhone 8 would feature infrared-based face unlocking, with the documentation indicating that Apple wants this system to detect a partially occluded face or even faces from different angles.

There is a chance that Apple would use more than just a sensor, most likely to enable 3D recognition, and the feature would generate 3D models of faces which would be stored on the device and then compared to new samples as users attempt to unlock the iPhone.

The face recognition hints were discovered in BiometricKit, the framework that enables Touch ID, and this could be a sign that Apple does not plan to replace fingerprint scanning completely, but offer Face ID as an alternative. More recently, there were reports that Touch ID could be removed completely from the iPhone 8, as Apple failed to embed the sensor into the display.

The code has confirmed that the iPhone 8 will use infrared sensors for face unlocking and not lasers, which could potentially be harmful to human eyes. On the other hand, infrared light could come with a series of setbacks, including possible face recognition issues in direct sunlight, or in other environments where other forms of infrared light is found.

The device is projected to see daylight in September, but there are reports that major delays could impact the beginning on sales, mostly because of limited supply.