Items tagged with face id
The concept of "private browsing" has been around for well over a decade and has been incorporated into all major web browsers. The concept is similar across all these browsers as well: it gives users a new, "clean" session that wipes out your browsing history when you close the tab. While your IP address and other information can still be tracked, someone with direct access to your computer or shared mobile device wouldn't be able to easily see what sites you visited or content you searched for. While this is a definite "perk" of private browsing, you still need to actually close out the session or someone could just open the browser, and click over to it. Google, however, is looking...
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When Apple first introduced Face ID with the iPhone X back in 2017, it tossed Touch ID fingerprint recognition into the trash bin for its flagship smartphones. All you had to do was simply lift your iPhone and look at it and would unlock. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made things a lot harder for those with a Face ID-equipped iPhone. Because most of us are now wearing a mask when we go out, unlocking your device, authenticating purchases, and opening banking apps means that you must dip your mask down so that the Face ID hardware can fully scan your face (or enter your passcode to unlock the device). That kind of defeats the purpose of wearing a mask and is more than annoying if you must...
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Apple's iPhone 12/iPhone 12 Pro family has only been on the market for a few months, but the rumor mill is already kicking into overdrive for the follow-up iPhone 13 family. Although it's a guarantee that the smartphones will leverage Apple's next-generation A15 Bionic SoC (likely built on a refined 5nm process node), other details are a bit fuzzier. Thankfully, The Wall Street Journal is bringing a little bit of clarity on one of the iPhone 13's features: its biometric authentication. Interestingly, the information is coming from a new report that’s not dedicated to the iPhone 13, but came buried in Joanna Stern's review of the Galaxy S21. Stern claims that Apple will add an...
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It appears that the switch to Apple Silicon could mean more than just greater performance and efficiency for Macs; it could also bring about a useful feature addition that iPhone and iPad users have taken for granted for years. We're talking, of course, about Face ID. According to some digging by 9to5Mac into the code for macOS Big Sur Developer Beta 3, references were found supporting "PearlCamera", which is the codename for the TrueDepth Camera that is used for Face ID. If you recall, Face ID was first introduced with the iPhone X back in 2017, and is used across the current iPhone 11 family and the iPad Pro. Face ID replaced Touch ID as Apple's preferred (and...
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Yesterday, we brought you news of a rear camera pod redesign for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 12 Pro family. In addition to the triple cameras that were introduced with the iPhone 11 Pro family, there's also a new LiDAR sensor and a centrally-mounted LED flash for a more balanced appearance. Today, we're getting a glimpse at the front of the smartphone for the first time. The first thing that stands out is that the display notch surrounding the earpiece speaker and Face ID hardware is much smaller this time around. The notch was one of the defining features of the iPhone X when it debuted in 2017, and was quickly copied by Android manufacturers. However, Android OEMs then swiftly pivoted...
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Apple was one of the first mainstream smartphones to adopt a notch with the iPhone X, after which is was quickly copied by Android OEMs. However, it looks as though Apple is finally getting with the times, and is looking for ways to minimize or completely get rid of the unsightly (and display real estate-robbing) notch. Let's Go Digital has uncovered Apple patent filings from December 2019 that show that the notch has been replaced by a thin bezel at the top of the display for the 2020 iPhone. While the bezel isn't as small as we've seen on some recent Android flagships, it is definitely much smaller than we’ve seen with previous Apple smartphones like the iPhone 8 (and its predecessors)....
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There are plenty of vulnerabilities in the biometrics that are commonly used for unlocking devices today, including fingerprint readers and Apple's Face ID. Researchers at the Black Hat USA 2019 conference this week demonstrated a new attack that allowed them to bypass a victim's Face ID and login to the user's phone. However, the method that the hackers had to use is a little disturbing, as they had to use an unconscious victim and place a pair of modified glasses on their face. To pull off the hack, the researchers placed tape carefully over the lenses of a pair of glasses and then put the glasses on the victim's face to show how Face ID could be bypassed in this specific scenario. The exploit...
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Love it or hate it, Apple has a tendency of waiting longer than some of its competition to roll out bleeding edge features. One of those is an in-display fingerprint sensor. While the technology is found on some Android devices, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will finally introduce the feature on its iPhone models starting in 2021. In-display fingerprint readers are already available on various Android phones, such as Samsung's Galaxy S10 series and the OnePlus 7 Pro. The latest iPhone models, however, rely on facial recognition technology (Face ID) to authenticate a user, or an iPhone X series owner can rely on old fashioned methods, such as tapping a PIN code. One reason why Apple might...
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There were many people in the U.S. crying foul when it was revealed that law enforcement had a man unlock his iPhone using Face ID, since the man couldn't be compelled to unlock a device secured with a passcode. Constitutionally guaranteed protections that are given to a person to prevent them from self-incrimination weren't extended to biometric devices like facial recognition and fingerprint scanners. A federal judge has now stepped up and issued a ruling that greatly changes the landscape for law enforcement and those accused of a crime. The U.S. federal judge has ruled that the police can't force a person to unlock their iPhone or Android device that is secured with Face ID, Touch ID, or...
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When Apple first rolled out its Face ID security tech to eliminate the need for a fingerprint scanner, there were some initial security concerns. It turned out that early on Face ID could be bypassed with a cheaply made 3D printed mask. Now, a new report has tried something similar to bypass Android facial recognition using a 3D printed head and attempted the same trick to circumvent iPhone X Face ID security. The 3D printed head was made in the UK at a business called Backface using an array of 50 cameras that combine images to create a single 3D image. That single 3D image was then fed into a 3D printer where something looking like a marble bust was produced over a span of a few days. The final...
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Apple today pulled wraps off its all-new iPad Pro, which is the biggest design change to the professionally-oriented tablet since it first debuted in 2015. The bezels around the display have shrunken, and as you can clearly see, the venerable Home button has been jettisoned. Apple first completely removed the Home button on the iPhone X and continued the tradition with the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. Now that the iPad Pro no longer has a button on its front face, it too has adopted Face ID for authentication (like its iPhone siblings). However, whereas the iPhone family can only authenticate your face in a vertical orientation, the iPad Pro -- which is now available in...
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Apple is expected to announce its next-generation iPad Pro and a few other devices at a scheduled press event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on October 30. In the days leading up to the event, a new beta build of iOS 12 has emerged, along with with a giant hint that the upcoming iPad Pro refresh will feature Face ID support. There has been a whole bunch of rumors surrounding the iPad Pro leading in past several weeks. Back in September, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple would ditch the Lightning connector on the new model in favor of the more common USB-C interface, though he wasn't clear if it would be used for anything other than charging the tablet. Going back even further,...
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Apple has been at odds with law enforcement over its ever-increasing security measures that have at times thwarted efforts to gain access to iPhones during an investigation. Earlier this month reports surfaced indicating that law enforcement had been able to get a user to unlock his iPhone using Face ID. Law enforcement now faces a new challenge; a company called Elcomsoft is warning law enforcement to not look at an iPhone with Face ID. The reasoning behind not looking at the iPhone is that security measures on the device can make it harder to unlock the phone if it sees the wrong face too many times. If too many failed attempts to unlock the device via Face ID occur, the device can default...
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When Apple launched the iPhone X, it went through extremes to make the display are of the smartphone as large as possible while minimizing the bezels. This meant the introduction of the notch at the top of the screen and the deletion of the home button where the fingerprint scanner was previously placed. Rather than put the fingerprint scanner on the back of the iPhone, Apple went to Face ID where your face serves as your password. The first reported instance of law enforcement having an iPhone X owner unlock their device with their face has now occurred. Forbes reports that when the FBI searched the home of a 28-year-old Grant Michalski in Ohio, they found an iPhone X in his possession that...
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Apple has begun pushing out its iOS 12.1 update in beta form, and in doing so the Cupertino company may have revealed some new details about upcoming features and products that have not yet been announced. Taking things a step further, the iOS 12.1 beta appears to confirm a new iPad Pro model coming out before the end of the year. Source: @OnLeaks via MySmartPrice We have already seen leaks pertaining to a new iPad Pro. Earlier this month, prominent leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (@onleaks) posted a link on Twitter to several "official looking" renders of an upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Pro. He couldn't confirm the renders were accurate, but they were interesting nonetheless. Sooo... I can't confirm this...
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We're roughly a month away from when Apple is rumored to be launching its 2018 family of iPhone devices. According to various sources over the past few months, there will be three standard models available at launch: a 6.1-inch LCD variant along with 5.8- and 6.5-inch OLED models. Earlier this week, references were found in iOS 12 beta code suggesting that a dual-SIM version of the new iPhones will be made available. Now, according to the Economic Daily News, it's being reported that the dual-SIM capabilities will be limited to the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone -- the cheapest of the three. And to further narrow things down, it's being reported that the this dual-SIM iPhone will only be...
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We're getting our first look at Apple's next-generation iPad Pro, and surprisingly, it's not coming from a supply chain leak. Instead, it's Apple that has leaked the details courtesy of the newly-released iOS 12 Beta 5. As was the case last year when a glyph of the iPhone X confirmed the shape of the device before its official reveal, this new iPad glyph tells us a whole lot with just a few pixels. For starters, the bezels around the display are a lot smaller; especially along the top and bottom of the device. This has allowed Apple to expand the size of the display while apparently keeping similar exterior dimensions. It also looks as though Apple has been able to squeeze in an...
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Apple is set to unveil its next generation iPad Pro models this fall, and we've got a fresh round of rumors with regards to what to expect. As before, there will be two sizes: the smaller 10.5-inch model, which will be joined by the 12.9-inch model. The smaller of the two will be roughly 6 mm thick, while the larger one is slightly thinker at 6.4 mm. This will be complete redesign of the iPad Pro family, and Apple is said to have trimmed the bezels all around. Apple has reportedly killed off the home button, just as it did when the iPhone X was introduced in the fall of 2017. In its place will be Face ID, which was also first seen on the iPhone X. Although the iPad can traditionally be...
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There have been issues with Apple's facial recognition tech used on the iPhone X in the past, however, most of those concerns had to do with Face ID not being as secure as Apple had claimed with fancy masks being able to defeat the security. Over the weekend, a support document was unearthed that claims Apple is now making repairs to help users having issues with FaceID on the iPhone X. The document outlines tests that employees should run on the device to see if issues with Face ID are related to a rear camera failure. The document instructs employees to run a diagnostic test to detect rear camera issues and if so replace the camera. If the tests find nothing with the camera, Apple workers...
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Although we doubt that there are many iPhone X owners out there that actually like the notch cutout from the top of the display, most have just learned to embrace it. The reason for the notch is due to the TrueDepth camera system that powers the Face ID facial recognition system. Face ID is capable of powering rather whimsical Animojis that users can share with each other in iMessage, or for more serious business when it comes to unlocking your smartphone, authenticating purchases (via Apple Pay) or entering your password/credit card details into a web form. Apple says that its Face ID technology features superior security credentials compared to Touch ID, and the company will apparently hold...
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2017 saw the launch of a trio of new iPhone models with a mixture of old and new design themes. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus launched first, which marked the latest evolution in a smartphone design that started with 2014's iPhone 6, and the iPhone X, which brought forth a new styling direction for Apple. A fresh report from a generally reliable source is now further confirming that Apple will launch three new iPhone models this fall. The first of these devices will be an upgraded version of the current iPhone X. Given that the iPhone X's design was all-new, don't expect any major changes on that front. However, Apple could very well add in a faster [hypothetical] A12 processor, 4GB of RAM (up...
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Another day, another Face ID fail that allows unauthorized people to log into the iPhone X. This time around, no creepy masks or 3D printing hardware was needed. The two women who can unlock the same iPhone X are not even related, as we have seen in the past when a child was able to unlock his mother's iPhone X using Face ID. The two women are colleagues that work for the Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation in China. One of the women, Ms. Yan, purchased an iPhone X and when she found that one of her coworkers could routinely unlock her iPhone using her face, which wasn't registered in the device, she returned the iPhone X thinking it was broken. However, when Yan received the second iPhone X, she...
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