3D Printed Head vs. Facial Recognition

Forbes used a 3D printed head in an attempt to fool various smartphones with facial recognition. They used an iPhone X, an LG G7 ThinQ, a Samsung S9, a Samsung Note 8 and a OnePlus 6. Every Android phone of the bunch opened up to the 3D printed head, but the iPhone X remained locked. While facial hacking isn't something most people should worry about, it does speak volumes of Apple's TrueDepth system.

Image Credit: Forbes

Face ID Will Work in Landscape Mode for iPad Pro

The next iPad Pro is undoubtedly getting Face ID based on code from iOS 12. Now, Steven Troughton-Smith is stating that Face ID will have support for landscape orientation on the iPad Pro. Face ID on iPhone X only works when the device is in portrait orientation. Landscape orientation would require realignment of the sensors, so this would be exclusive to the iPad Pro. iPads are often used in landscape orientation. I use my iPad almost exclusively in landscape orientation, so having Face ID work in this mode just makes sense.

Face ID has support for landscape orientation (presumably for iPad only), and iOS 12.1 seems to care a lot more about whether an external display is connected (perhaps due to iPad USB-C rumors; it won't have the Lighting HDMI adapter as an intermediary for video-out)

— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 18, 2018

New iPad Pro Coming at WWDC

According to Jun Zhang, we could be seeing a new iPad Pro at this year's WWDC. This iPad Pro is expected to have Face ID. This could also mean we get a larger screen on the iPad, which would look amazing, given the mockup below. WWDC is only a few months away and we did see a new iPad Pro announced at last year's WWDC, so hopefully this is true.

Image Credit: Carlos Guerra

Face ID's Hidden Easter Egg

Face ID is really convenient to use on the iPhone X for a variety of purposes. With each time you use it, you'll be greeted by the face below. However, I believe this face is a reference to the macOS face. You'll see this in the Finder app and the startup icon for the original Macintosh. I think it's a nice touch that goes overlooked, despite how often it is shown.

Image Credit: OS X Daily

Face ID Impressions

I've used Face ID these past few days and I have gotten time to get used to it. It's very convenient. I can slide up on the lock screen almost immediately and my phone is unlocked by then. It's how unlocking a phone should feel. It's even better in apps like 1Password or Day One. If my fingerprint was dirty, I would often find myself using a password. Now, I just have to look at my phone, which I'm already doing. One thing I'm not as much of a fan of is using it while docked. I put my iPhone on an iHome speaker dock at night, and I have to move my head quite a bit to be in range, instead of just putting my hand on a home button. This isn't a big deal, as I would have to move a bit or undock the phone if I was going to be using the phone in this state anyways (if that made any sense). 

Face ID on Twins

Two identical twins had the chance to test out Face ID and see if it could tell the two apart. Mashable and Business Insider both ran this test. Mashable found that twins could unlock the iPhone with just one face registered, while Business Insider found the opposite. For them, the iPhone would only unlock for one of the twins. Regardless, it's probably better to have someone related to you be able to unlock your phone than a complete stranger. 

iPad Pro May Feature Face ID

The next device Apple will make to support Face ID will likely be the iPad Pro, according to Ming-Chi Kuo. Of course, this means the iPad Pro will have the TrueDepth camera system the iPhone X will have. If so, this may suggest that the screen will have minimal bezels and have no home button. If Apple sees Face ID as the future, I'm glad they're embracing it by putting it in more devices. I hope that they find a way to add wireless charging to more products as well. 

Children Under 13 Cannot Use Face ID

Apple will not allow children under 13 to use Face ID. This comes from the App Store Review Guidelines. This isn't a huge deal since not many kids that age would have an iPhone X, but I'm curious about the reasoning for this. If Face ID is the future of Apple products, would this rule continue to be in effect?

Apps using facial recognition for account authentication must use LocalAuthentication (and not ARKit or other facial recognition technology), and must use an alternate authentication method for users under 13 years old.

iPhone 8 Could Detect Faces While Lying Flat

iHelp BR strikes again and they have discovered references to "resting" associated with "unlock." This may suggest that the iPhone 8 can detect faces even when the device is lying flat on a surface. This isn't a huge deal at first glance, but it does mean that we likely don't have to hold the iPhone super close to our faces to work. Hopefully, Face ID lives up to the rumors and becomes a true successor to Touch ID.

Image Credit: iHelp BR

Pay With Your Face: Practically Magic

With the removal of Touch ID in the iPhone 8, Apple Pay will follow suit with the unlock screen and use Face ID for payments [Source: @r_idn]. Face ID could be executed very well by Apple. Samsung unlocked phones when pictures of people were held up to the camera, so Apple putting some measures ensuring a physical face must be present is nice to hear. However, I just find Face ID fundamentally wrong. I don't want to see my face when I unlock my phone or make a payment. It doesn't feel natural. I hold my credit card when I go to use it. I don't put my face in front of it. Face ID will have to work very fast for me to consider it a good replacement for Touch ID. Let's hope so.