Technology
Huge iPhone update lets you FINALLY unlock with a face mask on – but is it safe?
PEOPLE will finally be able to unlock their iPhone while wearing a face mask – even though it’s less secure.
Apple is currently testing the feature, as the pandemic drags on across the world.
AlamyFace ID has been a problem for iPhone users during pandemic times[/caption]
Though in some parts it might be a bit late now, with England already scrapping rules on face coverings.
For those who continue to wear them it’ll be a handy get-around after two years of having to enter passcodes instead.
Geeks spotted the new feature is in development while testing iOS 15.4, which is yet to be released publicly.
Apple has warned users that Face ID is most accurate when it sees your entire face.
Instead, the update allows your iPhone to look for “unique features around the eye area”.
But as MacRumors reports, this is less secure.
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It also notes that the extra option only works for iPhone 12 and 13 models at the moment.
People lucky enough to own an Apple Watch already had a workaround handed to them last year.
But some clever geeks also figured out another way.
Though it doesn’t work every time, techies found that you can trick the system by using the “Alternative Appearance” option.
Meanwhile, people with cheaper smartphones have been rather smug during the pandemic, as the less advanced technology became a rare advantage.
Many use fingerprint scanning instead, which worked a treat during pandemic times – and spared them of Face ID nightmares.
How does Apple’s Face ID tech work?
Apple’s facial recognition system for the iPhone isn’t massively complicated. Here are the steps your phone takes:
The phone will use various sensors to work out how much light it needs to illuminate your face.
It then floods your face with infrared light, which is outside the visible spectrum of light.
A dot projector will produce more than 30,000 dots of this invisible light, creating a 3D map of your face.
An infrared camera will then capture images of this dot pattern.
Once your phone has all that info, it can use your face’s defining features – like your cheekbone shape, or the distance between your eyes – to verify your identity.
It computes a score between 0 and 1, and the closer it is to 1, the more likely it is that your face is the same as the one stored on your iPhone.
Apple says there’s a one-in-a-million chance of someone else getting into your iPhone with Face ID, although the system has been tricked with twins.
Still, it’s arguably better than the alternative: Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint scanner has a one-in-50,000 chance if being fooled.
In other news, a new space station for Tom Cruise to shoot movies on has caused jaws to drop for all the wrong reasons.
Scientists have pinpointed when they believe the Sun will explode and wipe out everything on Earth in the process.
And Apple is working on a fix for a recently discovered bug that is capable of exposing the personal data of iPhone users.
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