There’s a reason that so many spy movies feature antagonists with locked-down security. A simple password or keycode just isn’t very secure. It can be hacked, guessed, or brute-forced, and the more layers you add to crack it the harder it becomes for someone to break inside. Security measures need to get progressively more advanced as hackers figure out how to defeat prior layers of security. That’s why biometric authentication is so appealing something as simple as your fingerprints is almost impossible to hack with current technology. If you’ve used Touch ID on your iPhone, then you are probably aware of its limitations: You need to press your finger against the home button firmly and keep it there until it registers (which isn’t always easy with big fingers). But what about Face ID? How good is its facial recognition software? Can a hacker trick it with a photo or video? Or even by holding up a printout of their face? Let’s take a look!
Does Face Id Work With Eyes Close?
No, Face ID does not work with eyes closed. Face ID uses a series of sensors to map your face, and it requires your eyes to be open and look directly at the camera.
How Does Face ID Work?
-
The infrared camera projects over 30,000 invisible IR dots onto your face.
-
The dot pattern is then analyzed by the A11 Bionic chip to create a depth map of your face.
-
This biometric data is then sent to the Secure Enclave where it is encrypted and stored.
-
Face ID is designed to work with hats, scarves, glasses, contact lenses, and most sunglasses.
-
It cannot be fooled by photos or masks, and it’s not susceptible to skin conditions like acne or dryness that can confuse other biometric technologies such as fingerprint sensors.
-
Face ID only unlocks iPhone X when you are looking at it and will not unlock if you are looking away from the device or if you cover a portion of your face with your hand or attempt to unlock with a smile (which may be possible for future versions)
What If You Close Your Eyes When Using Face ID?
- Face ID will not work if you close your eyes, but it will still recognize your face.
- You can use Face ID with one or both eyes open, though it will work faster and more accurately with both eyes open.
- If you attempt to unlock iPhone X with your eyes closed, your Face ID may prompt you to go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Display Accommodations and enable the “Blind” setting. Once enabled, iPhone will display an alternative visual interface that’s easier for people with low vision to distinguish between colors and shapes in order to help them complete the action.
- iOS 11 also offers VoiceOver (Settings > General > Accessibility), which provides audio-based cues for actions such as swiping between apps or closing apps and notifications (swipe down on an app card). This can be turned on or off in Settings > General > Accessibility, and it can also be used in combination with VoiceOver (Settings > General > Siri).
- For example, if you enable VoiceOver in Settings and then swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open Control Center, a voiceover notification saying “Swipe up from the bottom of the screen” will be played before the Control Center appears onscreen.
- Face ID is designed to work with hats, scarves, glasses, contact lenses, and most sunglasses even at extreme angles but there are some cases where it may not recognize your face correctly:
Conclusion
Face ID is an extremely advanced piece of biometric authentication technology. It has a ton of potential, and it’s difficult to imagine a technology more secure than a person’s face. However, it is not perfect, and there are ways to trick it. If you are concerned about your iPhone X being unlocked by someone else, simply use a 6-digit passcode instead of Face ID. That said, don’t let this scare you too much. Face ID is unlikely to be fooled by a simple photo of you, and you should be able to use it even if you are wearing a hat or a scarf. Yes, your iPhone X might unlock for a stranger holding a printout of your face, but it will also unlock for you if you’re wearing a hat or scarf covering your face.
FAQs:
What is the difference between Face ID and Touch ID?
Touch ID was a fingerprint scanner that unlocked the iPhone. It worked by scanning your fingerprint to unlock the phone. Now Face ID is used for both unlocking and authentication for Apple Pay. Face ID uses advanced facial recognition instead of your fingerprint, and it will work in darkness or bright light and from many angles.
What happens if I lose my iPhone?
A: If someone finds or steals your iPhone X, they won’t be able to unlock it with their face unless they have your face enrolled in FaceID already as a verified user on your device with Apple Pay set up (this means you can’t use an ATM card or PayPass at a store). If someone tries to use their face to unlock it, they’ll need to enter the passcode after tapping on “Enter Passcode.”
Is Face ID going to be used for anything other than unlocking the phone?
Yes, it is also being used for authentication for Apple Pay. When you make payments in stores, you will have to use Face ID instead of Touch ID.
Is face recognition a new technology?
A: No, face recognition has been around since the 1990s and has been used in many industries such as retail and banking. However, it has been limited to indoor environments and has not worked well in bright sunlight or at night. Face ID works in all conditions because it uses machine learning to adapt to changes in your appearance (for example, wearing a hat or scarf) and works with infrared sensors that can detect your face even if you are not looking directly at your iPhone X. These sensors are also able to detect your face from many angles which means that Face ID is reliable even if you hold the phone upside down or off-center from your face.
