Apple Might Bring Facial Recognition Technology to its iDevices, But With a Twist
We’ve seen Apple deliver some of the best and secure technologies to its customers. Its TouchID, a fingerprint recognition feature, has laid the path to create a feature which makes phone locks reliable. Now, the Cupertino-based firm has plans to embed a simpler but effective technology to its devices for the same purpose – it’s called face recognition.
According to a patent recently granted to Apple by the U.S. Patent Office, the new-found invention will lock the device if the user’s face is no longer present. The granted patent reads, “In the embodiment of the invention, a mobile device is configured to automatically lock based on determining that a user’s face is no longer present in the image captured by the device’s built-in camera.”
It’s evident from the statement that the device will keep snapping pictures at a definite interval of time to check if the owner is working on the device. If the user doesn’t appear in the pictures, the device will automatically lock. This means if your iPhone is kept motionless for a certain period, it will lock on its own.
The patent also mentions that with this technology, iOS device users don’t need to type in the password or touch the screen. The handset would unlock through a selfie. This also means that if your phone reaches in the wrong hands, the intruder would not be able to access your device’s content.
The innovation is already present in Android smartphones, but it doesn’t keep a tab on the user’s activity continuously. Apple’s facial recognition technology looks promising and might arrive in the new gen iPhone, iPad or even the rumoured Apple Car.
