Yesterday Apple officially introduced the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and the great news that was the iPhone X. The new smartphone models bring several improvements compared to previous models. One of the major changes presented was facial recognition technology (Face ID).
What is Face ID?
With iPhone X, users will be able to unlock their smartphone just by looking at it, it looks like magic, but it will recognize it. Apple described this as the “future of how we will unlock our smartphones and protect our confidential information.“. To make Face ID possible, Apple had to put a lot of new hardware in a small area at the top of the screen.
How does it work?
The new technology introduced by Apple works based on three features that are:
- TrueDepth Camera System
Every time the user looks at your iPhone X, the camera system TrueDepth will detect your face with the flood light, even in the dark. The infrared camera will take an image and the spot projector will project more than 30.000 invisible infrared dots. The system uses the infrared image and the infrared dots, and then pushes them through neural networks to create a mathematical model of your face.
- Neural networks
IPhone X checks this math model against what the user has set up and stored on your device to see if it is a match, and if it is, will unlock your phone. All this happens in real time and invisibly. Apple has guaranteed that it has worked with thousands of people around the world and has taken over a billion images and has developed several neural networks to create this Face ID technology.
- A11 bionic neuronal motor
To process all the data required for Face ID through machine learning, Apple had to develop the new A11 Bionic neural mechanism. It is essentially the company's A11 Bionic chip with a built-in neural mechanism. In other words, it is specialized hardware built for a set of machine learning algorithms.
How to activate Face ID?
- Touch Settings;
- Touch Face ID & Passcode and enter your password;
- Tap Enroll Face (under Face ID);
- Tap Start and follow the on-screen instructions;
- You will be prompted to position your face within a frame;
- Move your head so it can be properly scanned;
When setting up face unlocking, Apple ensures that the user only needs to move their ear slowly so that Face ID can fully recognize their face.
Great.