Leaked iOS 11 GM confirms 'iPhone 8' 'Face ID' facial detection, revamped AirPods, more

Posted:
in iPhone edited September 2017
A deeper dive into Friday's leaked iOS 11 GM seems to reveal a slew of new features set to launch with "iPhone 8," including a facial recognition system dubbed "Face ID," new Portrait Lighting camera effects, a True Tone display and more. A new version of AirPods is also hinted at in the code.




According to 9to5Mac, the unreleased iOS 11 version contains evidence that Apple will market its facial recognition system, thought to handle user authentication, as "Face ID." Prior investigation of leaked HomePod firmware referred to the technology as Pearl ID.

The operating system also includes a short video of an animated smiley face rotating around two central axes, which the publication believes might be used as a tutorial for setting up Face ID. An animation like the one described makes sense, considering Apple's recognition solution would need to capture all facets of a user's face, from different angles, to achieve a certain level of accuracy.

In addition to Face ID, the code includes mention of a new feature called Portrait Lighting that appears to simulate depth by utilizing different lighting effects. Presumably accessible via the Camera app, the function is thought to be an update to Portrait Mode introduced on the iPhone 7 Plus and includes Contour Light, Natural Light, Stage Light, Stage Light Mono and Studio Light.

Related to camera capture capabilities, the iOS 11 GM tips new video recording capabilities, including 1080p at 240 fps 480 MB with 1080p HD at 240 fps, 4K at 24 fps (Footer) 270 MB with 4K at 24 fps (film style) (HEVC Footer) 135 MB with 4K at 24 fps (film style) and 4K at 60 fps (Footer) 450 MB with 4K at 60 fps (higher resolution, smoother) (HEVC Footer) 400 MB with 4K at 60 fps (higher resolution, smoother), the report said.

The publication believes Apple's OLED iPhone will boast a True Tone display with a resolution of 1,125 by 2,436 pixels.

True Tone technology, which was first introduced with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro in 2016, dynamically alters display color temperatures based on color and brightness information gathered by ambient light sensors. In March, analysts predicted Apple would roll the feature into both "iPhone 7s" and "iPhone 8" models.

Surprisingly, an animation included in the firmware reveals what looks to be a new set of AirPods headphones. Referenced as "AirPods1,1" and "AirPods1,2," the hardware appears to be a slight modification over existing units, with the only noticeable change being a charging status LED that has been relocated from inside the case to its exterior. The AirPods themselves seem to be unchanged, though the hardware might come with internal improvements or new sensors.

The publication also uncovered three-dimensional animated emoji referred to as "Jellyfish." Referred to as "Animoji," the characters are animated based on user facial expressions and can be sent with recorded voice messages. The technology appears to stem from Apple's acquisition of real-time motion capture firm Faceshift in 2015.

Finally, images buried in the code reveal "iPhone 8" icons and line drawings similar to those found in the HomePod firmware leak. A separate tutorial graphic of the next-generation phone, complete with status bar cutout, shows users how to make an emergency call by simultaneously pressing the sleep/wake switch and volume up button.

Apple is expected to unveil "iPhone 8" alongside updated iPhone 7 series handsets, an LTE Apple Watch and 4K Apple TV at a special event on Tuesday. AppleInsider will be on the scene with live coverage starting at 10 a.m. Pacific.
bjnesbitt
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 35
    I wonder if third parties like Microsoft will support Face ID as an authentication for services like O365. 
    mjbadagliacco
  • Reply 2 of 35
    I don't mind Face ID, but it doesn't sound as secure as Touch ID, so I would be surprised if all the banks were still willing to trust the iPhones. Where are the facial feature data stored? In the same secure enclave as the fingerprint? Which versions of Apple phone and iPad hardware will be able to use Face ID? Will older hardware without Touch ID be able to use Face ID? If so, how is the secure enclave implemented in them since they don't have secure enclave hardware? So many questions.
  • Reply 3 of 35
    mobirdmobird Posts: 752member
    What are the thoughts on what type of camera will the iPhone 7s have? Will it be upgraded to what is currently on the iPhone 7+?
  • Reply 4 of 35
    ksecksec Posts: 1,569member
    Thanks for killing all the remaining excitement Apple. The amount of leaks coming from Apple's own faults and software is getting fxxking ridiculous.
    edited September 2017 superklotondoozydozenNameo_williamlondon
  • Reply 5 of 35
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    As I made the case over the past 12 months, Apple would not call a system designed to identify/authenticate a person by their face 'facial recognition.'  Apple will use the correct term, Face Recognition, thus FaceID.   If Apple uses the term facial recognition, which they might, it'll be in context of creating avatars that mimic the facial expressions of a user.  Facial recognition is a wholly inappropriate term to describe the process of authenticating a person by their face, though it might be a subset of that process.
    edited September 2017 doozydozen2old4funtmaybeowulfschmidt
  • Reply 6 of 35
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    ksec said:
    Thanks for killing all the remaining excitement Apple. The amount of leaks coming from Apple's own faults and software is getting fxxking ridiculous.
    My guess is Apple is taking a pragmatic view at this point.  The reason for their secrecy is two-fold.  Primarily to prevent competition from fast following, and secondarily to minimize consumers delaying purchases prior to a new release.  But both those goals become far less of an issue a couple weeks out from the introduction.  Samsung, for example, already designed and introduced its Note 8, and Galaxy 8 back in the spring.  Letting a few bits of information dribble out at this point won't change much.  But why do so at all?  I suspect it's simply a matter of not wanting to continue masking resources in the operation system and development kits.  That could be error prone, and Apple would want a truly gold master of these things this close to release.
    edited September 2017 Rayz2016chiawatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 35
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    The AirPods themselves seem to be unchanged, though the hardware might come with internal improvements or new sensors. 
    That's too bad. I won't be a candidate until they off an in-earphone option. I still prefer my wired Apple in-earphones over other in-earphones because of how they fit and feel in my ears.
    tokyojimu
  • Reply 8 of 35
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    As I made the case over the past 12 months, Apple would not call a system designed to identify/authenticate a person by their face 'facial recognition.'  Apple will use the correct term, Face Recognition, thus FaceID.   If Apple uses the term facial recognition, which they might, it'll be in context of creating avatars that mimic the facial expressions of a user.  Facial recognition is a wholly inappropriate term to describe the process of authenticating a person by their face, though it might be a subset of that process.
    As I've stated before, you're missing the point when it comes to marketing. Apple choose Touch ID for a system where you're touching a sensor to read your fingerprint, so it would make sense that they would choose Face ID for one that reads your face. The argument about whether it's technically face recognition v facial recognition has absolutely zero to do with the marketing department.
    doozydozen2old4funStrangeDayswigbygatorguy
  • Reply 9 of 35
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    Soli said:
    As I made the case over the past 12 months, Apple would not call a system designed to identify/authenticate a person by their face 'facial recognition.'  Apple will use the correct term, Face Recognition, thus FaceID.   If Apple uses the term facial recognition, which they might, it'll be in context of creating avatars that mimic the facial expressions of a user.  Facial recognition is a wholly inappropriate term to describe the process of authenticating a person by their face, though it might be a subset of that process.
    As I've stated before, you're missing the point when it comes to marketing. Apple choose Touch ID for a system where you're touching a sensor to read your fingerprint, so it would make sense that they would choose Face ID for one that reads your face. The argument about whether it's technically face recognition v facial recognition has absolutely zero to do with the marketing department.
    Yeah, maybe that's the case with respect to mapping the technical details to marketing but my point has always been, until today's comment, about the technology.  I still say Apple, on stage, if they delve into any description of the technology, the way they did with Truetone, with Retina display tech, with the milling of the Apple Watch cases, etc, will use the correct technical term in each context.  Face recognition for face-based authentication, facial recognition for mapping facial features to an Avatar, and possibly for use as a step in the face recognition process (face recognition algorithms can benefit from knowing the angle of a face in a captured image and also from what expression exists on the face in a captured image).  But facial recognition, by itself, does not include the Fourier transforms, blurring algorithms, eigenfaces and other tools used in identifying the owner of an imaged face.  
    edited September 2017
  • Reply 10 of 35
    It also looks like they have artificial relighting for portraits (and possibly entire scenes), which would mean that the ability to collect depth information is significantly improved with their lenses and whatever other sensors there are.

    In other words, take a picture in the middle of the day in sunshine and then in post-processing change the image to late afternoon backlit.
    jdgazmjbadagliacco
  • Reply 11 of 35
    Don't want to set anyone's expectations high but could the redesigned Airpods with built in charging led be an indication the airpods will be included with some iphones and apple found a way to leave the charging case out as a cost saving trade off. That will explain the led on the AirPods itself. 
  • Reply 12 of 35
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Don't want to set anyone's expectations high but could the redesigned Airpods with built in charging led be an indication the airpods will be included with some iphones and apple found a way to leave the charging case out as a cost saving trade off. That will explain the led on the AirPods itself. 
    How about an inductive charger on the back? Perhaps even allowing it to use the inductive charger on the iPhone to pull extra power from it, if needed.
  • Reply 13 of 35
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    Don't want to set anyone's expectations high but could the redesigned Airpods with built in charging led be an indication the airpods will be included with some iphones and apple found a way to leave the charging case out as a cost saving trade off. That will explain the led on the AirPods itself. 
    The charging LED in question is not on the AirPods themselves, but in the AirPod charging case.  The LeD is being moved from the inside of the case to its outside, presumably so that a user could determine the charge status without opening the top of the case.
    dysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 35
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    Don't want to set anyone's expectations high but could the redesigned Airpods with built in charging led be an indication the airpods will be included with some iphones and apple found a way to leave the charging case out as a cost saving trade off. That will explain the led on the AirPods itself. 
    The charging LED in question is not on the AirPods themselves, but in the AirPod charging case.  The LeD is being moved from the inside of the case to its outside, presumably so that a user could determine the charge status without opening the top of the case.
    They should change to a plastic hinge as well. I keep trying to open the shiny side.

  • Reply 15 of 35
    Soli said:
    As I made the case over the past 12 months, Apple would not call a system designed to identify/authenticate a person by their face 'facial recognition.'  Apple will use the correct term, Face Recognition, thus FaceID.   If Apple uses the term facial recognition, which they might, it'll be in context of creating avatars that mimic the facial expressions of a user.  Facial recognition is a wholly inappropriate term to describe the process of authenticating a person by their face, though it might be a subset of that process.
    As I've stated before, you're missing the point when it comes to marketing. Apple choose Touch ID for a system where you're touching a sensor to read your fingerprint, so it would make sense that they would choose Face ID for one that reads your face. The argument about whether it's technically face recognition v facial recognition has absolutely zero to do with the marketing department.
    No by that rule they would call it See ID.
  • Reply 16 of 35
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Soli said:
    As I made the case over the past 12 months, Apple would not call a system designed to identify/authenticate a person by their face 'facial recognition.'  Apple will use the correct term, Face Recognition, thus FaceID.   If Apple uses the term facial recognition, which they might, it'll be in context of creating avatars that mimic the facial expressions of a user.  Facial recognition is a wholly inappropriate term to describe the process of authenticating a person by their face, though it might be a subset of that process.
    As I've stated before, you're missing the point when it comes to marketing. Apple choose Touch ID for a system where you're touching a sensor to read your fingerprint, so it would make sense that they would choose Face ID for one that reads your face. The argument about whether it's technically face recognition v facial recognition has absolutely zero to do with the marketing department.
    No by that rule they would call it See ID.
    No, because the touching for Touch ID or the face for Face ID is what authenticates it. You "seeing" your phone isn't how that the technology works. But that's neither here nor there, because the discussion is about marketing and See ID is an absolute horrid name suggestion.
    doozydozenStrangeDaysMetriacanthosaurus
  • Reply 17 of 35
    I don't mind Face ID, but it doesn't sound as secure as Touch ID, so I would be surprised if all the banks were still willing to trust the iPhones. Where are the facial feature data stored? In the same secure enclave as the fingerprint? Which versions of Apple phone and iPad hardware will be able to use Face ID? Will older hardware without Touch ID be able to use Face ID? If so, how is the secure enclave implemented in them since they don't have secure enclave hardware? So many questions.
    Going by the marketing names alone, neither "sounds" more secure or insecure than the other. The details are unknown. 
    SoliMetriacanthosauruswatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 35

    mattinoz said:
    Don't want to set anyone's expectations high but could the redesigned Airpods with built in charging led be an indication the airpods will be included with some iphones and apple found a way to leave the charging case out as a cost saving trade off. That will explain the led on the AirPods itself. 
    The charging LED in question is not on the AirPods themselves, but in the AirPod charging case.  The LeD is being moved from the inside of the case to its outside, presumably so that a user could determine the charge status without opening the top of the case.
    They should change to a plastic hinge as well. I keep trying to open the shiny side.

    I'd rather have a super durable hinge and let you try to open the wrong side. 
    dysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 35
    Not surprised. I coined the term Face ID months ago because it was the logical common sense name... Which is what Apple typically goes for. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 35
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    Wait…

    They put the charging light INSIDE the box?

    Isn't that a bit like putting the timer  INSIDE the oven?



    dysamoria
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