FaceID
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iOS 14.5 will roll out next week
You can now set your iPhone to unlock if it detects your watch in the area.
iOS 14.5 public beta lets Apple Watch users try the new mask-friendly Face ID
No more hammering in a passcode when you're out and about in a mask.
The next iPhone could have a depth-sensing camera on the back
The latest thing to emerge from the wheels at the rumor mill is the suggestion that the next iPhone will get a rear-facing 3D camera. According to Fast Company's sources, Apple will cram TrueDepth, the same sensors used for in the forward-facing array for FaceID, into the iPhone's primary camera setup. The tech will apparently be bought from Lumentum, the same company that currently makes the FaceID sensors.
WhatsApp update lets you hide chats using Face ID and Touch ID
Instagram and Messenger could soon follow WhatsApp in introducing encrypted messaging as part of Facebook's plan to unify its app empire. In the meantime, WhatsApp is adding an extra layer of privacy on iOS with support for Touch ID and Face ID. The update (version 2.19.20) allows users to lock their messages behind their iPhone's biometric authentication features. You can switch it on by heading in to settings, selecting Account, Privacy and "enable Lock Screen." You'll then be able to set a time limit immediately, after a minute, 15 minutes or 1 hour.
Netflix hack day project uses eye tracking to navigate its iOS app
Netflix's hack days frequently produce fanciful results, but its latest might be key to making its streaming service more accessible. The company's engineers have developed an experimental "Eye Nav" feature that lets you navigate the iOS app using the face tracking in newer iPhones (and, potentially, iPads). You use your eyes to control the cursor, staring at an item to select it. And if you need to back out? Just stick out your tongue.
Police told to avoid looking at recent iPhones to avoid lockouts
Police have yet to completely wrap their heads around modern iPhones like the X and XS, and that's clearer than ever thanks to a leak. Motherboard has obtained a presentation slide from forensics company Elcomsoft telling law enforcement to avoid looking at iPhones with Face ID. If they gaze at it too many times (five), the company said, they risk being locked out much like Apple's Craig Federighi was during the iPhone X launch event. They'd then have to enter a passcode that they likely can't obtain under the US Constitution's Fifth Amendment, which protects suspects from having to provide self-incriminating testimony.
New iPad Pros will reportedly get Face ID and lose the home button
Apple's iOS 12.1 release back in September hinted at a new iPad launch before the year is out, and now new details have emerged on exactly what the device might look like. According to 9to5mac, sources familiar with the development of the new 2018 iPad Pro have revealed there will be two WiFi and two LTE models in both size options.
iOS 12 code hints at iPad with Face ID
Apple's iOS 12 has hinted from the outset that an iPad with a notched display was in the works (the status bar conspicuously made room for it). If you were wondering whether or not that meant an iPhone X-style TrueDepth camera and Face ID, though, you can rest assured after today. Developer Steve Troughton-Smith has discovered that AvatarKit, the framework behind Animoji and Memoji, now supports the iPad. Given that you need a TrueDepth camera for these face-tracking personas to work, and the iPad Pro hasn't been updated in over a year... well, you do the math.
iOS 12 will support Face ID for two people
Ever since the iPhone X arrived, Face ID has only ever supported one person -- unlike Touch ID, there was no way to register someone else you trust with your device. That won't be a problem with iOS 12. While Apple didn't discuss the feature during its WWDC keynote, iOS 12 lets you add an "alternative appearance" for Face ID. It's ostensibly meant for people who have problems with Face ID (say, people with glasses that significantly alter their look), but it can be used for a second person. A partner or child could have access to your phone without having to type in a passcode.
OnePlus 6 face unlock can be fooled by a simple printout
For smartphones without home buttons, face unlocking has become a necessary and ostensibly more secure method for preventing unauthorized access. The iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S9 have adopted the technology, but it turns out there's a way to cheat the system -- for the OnePlus 6, anyway. Twitter user @rikvduijn discovered that it's possible to exploit the face unlock feature with a printed color copy of the phone owner's face.
Even genuine replacement Apple displays can mess with iPhones
Following the news that the latest iOS update can break phones with non-official replacement screens, repairers are encountering a different, more subtle problem: If you put a genuine Apple replacement display into an iPhone 8, 8 Plus or X, it'll no longer be able to adjust its brightness automatically. If Apple or one of its authorized partners were to put the same display in the same phone, though? No problem. The aftermarket repair community has verified the behavior in phones from the US all the way to Australia. It's confirmed to be an issue with phones running iOS 11.1, 11.2 and 11.3, which led sources to suggest it's been a problem since the launch of the latest batch of iPhones last fall. I was able to confirm that even swapping the displays of two brand-new iPhones causes the ambient light sensor to stop working, despite it not being altered or touched in any way. Experiments have shown that the sensor is disabled by iOS during the boot process.
All you need for a Volvo XC40 subscription is your iPhone
Getting a new car is getting even easier these days. BMW, Lexus and Volvo have all started selling cars via subscription. The Care by Volvo program gives you an all-wheel-drive XC40, insurance, routine maintenance, roadside assistance and no money down for $600 a month. That sounds pretty great, but it's also super easy to sign up. Now you can sign up and pay for your monthly car sub via an iOS app and Apple Pay.
The chaos of unlocking your phone in 2018
PIN codes and patterns are passe. MWC 2018 kicked off with the usual fanfare of a major flagship launch -- the Galaxy S9. With it, Samsung introduced its own, new, face unlock feature. Google may have added the feature to Android many years ago, but it seems technology has progressed enough to make it worth resurrecting by Samsung -- with some extra biometric backup. The House of Galaxy might have also felt the competitive tug of Apple's surprisingly slick Face ID unlock feature on the iPhone X. Samsung wasn't the only company innovating when it comes to how we get our smartphone working. And it's not just the thousand-dollar flagships, either. Biometrics are here in a big way, although no-one seems to know which method's best. How many of these techniques will last to see 2020?
How security became more important than convenience
Since the dawn of infosec, the belief that we users are a group of dullard cattle who blindly trade our own security for convenience at every turn has been trumpeted by the stewards of IT and the infosec-arrogant, while bolstered by old research. Not anymore, says a new in-depth study from IBM on consumers' relationships with biometrics, authentication and the future of identity. If they have a choice, consumers now prefer taking extra security steps over using "123456" as a password.
iOS 11.3 will let iPhone X users approve family purchases with Face ID
iPhone users will a get a handful of new capabilities when Apple releases iOS 11.3 this spring, one of which is sure to be welcomed by parents with an iPhone X. With the introduction of Face ID, some processes got a little easier for iPhone users, but parents who approve their children's purchases through the Ask to Buy feature have been a little irritated with the system. That's because while Touch ID-enabled iPhones let parents use their fingerprints to approve a child's purchase request, the iPhone X has been forcing parents to input their password each time. However, that's about to change because it appears iOS 11.3 will allow Face ID for purchase approvals.
iPhone X owners can't use Face ID to approve family purchases
Face ID on the iPhone X is helpful for authorizing a purchase for yourself, but don't expect to use it if you're approving a purchase for your kids. Numerous owners have discovered that the face authentication feature doesn't work for family purchases (that is, where a family member asks you to buy apps or music on their behalf) like Touch ID does on earlier iPhones. It's not a tremendous pain, but you probably won't relish the thought of punching in your password every time your little ones want a new game for their iPads.
Apple invests $390 million into Face ID and AirPod tech
Apple has made another investment with its Advanced Manufacturing Fund (AMF), awarding Finisar $390 million. If the name doesn't sound familiar, its work will. Finisar is the company behind the iPhone X's Face ID, Animoji and Portrait mode for selfies -- all of which rely on vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL). It's also responsible for your AirPods' proximity sensing tech. The investment means Finisar will set up shop in a 700,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Texas in addition to expanding its research and development team.
Huawei says it can do better than Apple's Face ID
Huawei has a history of trying to beat Apple at its own game (it unveiled a "Force Touch" phone days before the iPhone 6s launch), and that's truer than ever now that the iPhone X is in town. At the end of a presentation for the Honor V10, the company teased a depth-sensing camera system that's clearly meant to take on Apple's TrueDepth face detection technology. It too uses a combination of infrared and a projector to create a 3D map of your face, but it can capture 300,000 points -- that's 10 times as many as the iPhone X captures, thought Huawei's version currently takes 10 seconds to rebuild this more precise 3D model.
Apple’s 2019 iPhone could have a rear-facing 3D sensor
Apple has made no secret of its interest in augmented reality (AR) -- in interviews CEO Tim Cook gives it as much attention as sales growth. Now, it's rumoured that the company's 2019 iPhone release will come with a rear-facing 3D sensor, potentially turning the model into a leading AR device.
Security firm claims to thwart iPhone X's Face ID with a mask
When Apple introduced Face ID security alongside the iPhone X, it boasted that even Hollywood-quality masks couldn't fool the system. It might not be a question of movie-like authenticity, however -- security researchers at Bkav claim to have thwarted Face ID by using a specially-built mask. Rather than strive for absolute realism, the team built its mask with the aim of tricking the depth-mapping technology. The creation uses hand-crafted "skin" made specifically to exploit Face ID, while 3D printing produced the face model. Other parts, such as the eyes, are 2D images. The proof of concept appears to work, as you can see in the clip below. The question is: do iPhone X owners actually have to worry about it?
