Apple's 'iPhone 8' may do facial recognition while laying on tables & desks

AppleInsider · August 6, 2017 7:18PM

Code found in Apple's HomePod firmware may suggest that the "iPhone 8's" facial recognition system -- internally dubbed "Pearl" -- will be able to scan someone and unlock a device while it's resting on a flat surface, instead of forcing users to pick it up and aim the camera.

Code strings include the likes of "AXRestingPearlUnlock" and "com.apple.accessibility.resting.pearl.unlock," iHelp BR noted this weekend. The term "resting" appears in reference to Pearl several other times.

The information appears to align with a July report about the the phone's facial recognition technology, which further hinted that it would be able to authenticate within a few hundred milliseconds. Apple was allegedly considering using facial recognition to replace Touch ID, and so far there's no sign of a rumored Touch ID sensor embedded into the "iPhone 8's" OLED display.

Some other interesting code strings include "APPS_USING_PEARL" and "PEARL_AUTOLOCK," iHelp BR observed. The first hints at an option to unlock specific apps using facial recognition, something that would be necessary to replace Touch ID. The latter could simply block access to people the phone doesn't know.

A number of revelations have come out of the HomePod firmware, including other "iPhone 8" details and Saturday's discovery that Apple is likely preparing a new Apple TV with 4K and HDR support.

curtis hannah · August 6, 2017 7:33PM

Everytime I see the facial recognition, I think that there is a reason for Apple putting the fingerprint scanner on the front, because you never haft to lift the phone off the table and can take it anywhere, the only issue being someone wearing gloves. The facial recognition however means you haft to look at the phone, which if it can handle angles like this article claims, then maybe, but what about someone using there phone and not looking towards it, blind people, people wearing helmets(and possibly sunglasses), etc. It is a group of people that are not at convenience.

fishbert · August 6, 2017 8:07PM

I can't be the only one reluctant to give up Touch ID for facial recognition, can I?
If that's the deal to get the fancy new phone, I'm much less excited about it than I was earlier this summer.

edited August 2017

anantksundaram · August 6, 2017 8:07PM

I have little doubt that Apple's implementation of facial recognition -- not to mention wireless charging and the new TouchID -- will be well beyond our conceptualizations or current comprehension of it, and will leave the competition scratching its collective head saying "Damn, why didn't we think of that!?"

Not to mention the fact that, six months later, everyone will go,"Oh yeah, that was obvious."

kevin kee · August 6, 2017 8:12PM

Your analogy reminds me of people who are trying to use TouchID while wearing normal gloves, they just need to remove them. Unlike iris scanner, 3D sensing facial recognition does not require one to pick up the phone and look at the camera. It use a technology call depth sensing, which recognise any of your face features (not your eyes) from 3d angles.

edited August 2017

slprescott · August 6, 2017 8:13PM

"Lying" on the table. Laying is a transitive verb.

maestro64 · August 6, 2017 8:16PM

The real questions will be under what use cases dord it work and does not work. It was like when touch screens came out, you could not use it with a glove on, so 25% of the year in cool places you needed to remove your gloves until the glove manufacturers figured out a solution.

The problem with touch ID will never work with a glove so we're back to the original problem. But this time people are not complaining about it.

The real question is how frictionless well face IT will be. If you have the issues of the touch screen not working unless you remove the glove, then people could reject face ID. I would say it has to work under most normal use cases.

ralphdaily · August 6, 2017 8:25PM

"Lying" not "Laying" on the table.

robjn · August 6, 2017 9:19PM

There's a good reason why this "resting" unlock mode is an Accessability feature. Most people don't want their phone to unlock when they happen to walk past it.

Generally, users want to trigger the unlock. This could simply be by raising the phone or as recently discovered code indicates, tapping the screen.

There may be times when you don't want the phone to unlock, for example if you want to check the time on the lock screen.

tshapi · August 6, 2017 10:15PM

Does this mean that Siri will soon be able to read lips?

tshapi · August 6, 2017 10:18PM

Knowing Apple there will be security measures in place for people's protection

grabasnookie · August 6, 2017 10:35PM

Could facial recognition be the unlocking tool law enforcement has been wishing for to unlock phones? Wonder if the feature works on a dead guy

tshapi · August 6, 2017 11:03PM

It only works if people enable it.

jd_in_sb · August 6, 2017 11:05PM

GrabAsnookie said:

Could facial recognition be the unlocking tool law enforcement has been wishing for to unlock phones? Wonder if the feature works on a dead guy

Unlikely. The unlocking problem is primarily with bad guys who only use passwords. That will continue to be a problem for law enforcement with iPhones that have Face ID because the bad guys won't be using it.

cgwerks · August 6, 2017 11:14PM

Wow, seems like a classic case of, 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should.' Bad idea, IMO.

fishbert said:

I can't be the only one reluctant to give up Touch ID for facial recognition, can I?
If that's the deal to get the fancy new phone, I'm much less excited about it than I was earlier this summer.

Exactly. I don't mind both/and... but if it replaces the fingerprint sensor, it sounds like it introduces a bunch of new problems.

anantksundaram said:

I have little doubt that Apple's implementation of facial recognition -- not to mention wireless charging and the new TouchID -- will be well beyond our conceptualizations or current comprehension of it, and will leave the competition scratching its collective head saying "Damn, why didn't we think of that!?"

Not to mention the fact that, six months later, everyone will go,"Oh yeah, that was obvious."

Like their implementation of missing 3.5mm jack?

It will probably work fine, the question is more whether it's actually an improvement for us, rather than solving a problem for them.

robjn said:
Generally, users want to trigger the unlock. ...
There may be times when you don't want the phone to unlock, for example if you want to check the time on the lock screen.

It would seem there are a whole bunch of cases like this. I don't want any of my devices auto-unlocking.

tshapi said:

Knowing Apple there will be security measures in place for people's protection

Knowing Apple, they won't have even thought of that... and maybe about 3 to 4 iOS releases later, we'll get some kind of wonderful new feature to solve the problem.

strangedays · August 6, 2017 11:44PM

curtis hannah said:

Everytime I see the facial recognition, I think that there is a reason for Apple putting the fingerprint scanner on the front, because you never haft to lift the phone off the table and can take it anywhere, the only issue being someone wearing gloves. The facial recognition however means you haft to look at the phone, which if it can handle angles like this article claims, then maybe, but what about someone using there phone and not looking towards it, blind people, people wearing helmets(and possibly sunglasses), etc. It is a group of people that are not at convenience.

None of your edge cases matter for the same reason the edge cases for not using your clean, dry finger matter.

I dont think you critics even realize how you used to argue the same edge cases against touch id. sad.

strangedays · August 6, 2017 11:45PM

fishbert said:

I can't be the only one reluctant to give up Touch ID for facial recognition, can I?
If that's the deal to get the fancy new phone, I'm much less excited about it than I was earlier this summer.

Yes, that’s the only new thing in the premiere iphone. You got them. Pretty disappointing, huh? Guess it’s time to go samsung now. /rolleyes

strangedays · August 6, 2017 11:48PM

cgWerks said:

Wow, seems like a classic case of, 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should.' Bad idea, IMO.

fishbert said:

I can't be the only one reluctant to give up Touch ID for facial recognition, can I?
If that's the deal to get the fancy new phone, I'm much less excited about it than I was earlier this summer.

Exactly. I don't mind both/and... but if it replaces the fingerprint sensor, it sounds like it introduces a bunch of new problems.

anantksundaram said:

I have little doubt that Apple's implementation of facial recognition -- not to mention wireless charging and the new TouchID -- will be well beyond our conceptualizations or current comprehension of it, and will leave the competition scratching its collective head saying "Damn, why didn't we think of that!?"

Not to mention the fact that, six months later, everyone will go,"Oh yeah, that was obvious."

Like their implementation of missing 3.5mm jack?
It will probably work fine, the question is more whether it's actually an improvement for us, rather than solving a problem for them.

robjn said:
Generally, users want to trigger the unlock. ...
There may be times when you don't want the phone to unlock, for example if you want to check the time on the lock screen.

It would seem there are a whole bunch of cases like this. I don't want any of my devices auto-unlocking.

tshapi said:

Knowing Apple there will be security measures in place for people's protection

Knowing Apple, they won't have even thought of that... and maybe about 3 to 4 iOS releases later, we'll get some kind of wonderful new feature to solve the problem.

What on earth are you talking about? Or are you just trolling? Of course Apple has thought of these use cases and more. They’re better at this than you are. Don’t you realize that yet?

cgwerks · August 7, 2017 1:26AM

StrangeDays said:
What on earth are you talking about? Or are you just trolling? Of course Apple has thought of these use cases and more. They’re better at this than you are. Don’t you realize that yet?

I once thought that, but they've disappointed me too many times now with dead-obvious features missing from software for multiple generations, and decisions that aren't well thought through.
(examples? prematurely stopping pro gear; eliminating the 3.5mm jack; moving to big screens and getting rid of phone-sized ones; lacking file-system on iOS; etc. If I spent another 10 minutes thinking, I could greatly expand the list.)

strangedays · August 7, 2017 1:41AM

cgWerks said:

StrangeDays said:
What on earth are you talking about? Or are you just trolling? Of course Apple has thought of these use cases and more. They’re better at this than you are. Don’t you realize that yet?

I once thought that, but they've disappointed me too many times now with dead-obvious features missing from software for multiple generations, and decisions that aren't well thought through.
(examples? prematurely stopping pro gear; eliminating the 3.5mm jack; moving to big screens and getting rid of phone-sized ones; lacking file-system on iOS; etc. If I spent another 10 minutes thinking, I could greatly expand the list.)

Do they no longer sell the SE? News to me. And the legacy analog headphone port? Ok man. Bet you’re still bummed about parallel ports too...?

Sorry, but these were solid choices. You’re a fringe case. Apple is indeed better at this than you.

edited August 2017

gerard · August 7, 2017 2:25AM

I’m interested to see Apple’s twist on this technology but I’m not sure if it’s a feature I will use. Touch ID works fine for me.

Apple's 'iPhone 8' may do facial recognition while laying on tables & desks

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