Apple working on 3D face scan technology to unlock iPhone

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Apple is working on a new feature which allows users to unlock their iPhones by scanning their faces, reported Bloomberg.

Powered by a new 3D sensor, the function is meant to enhance iPhone's security system which allows users to log in, verify payments, and launch secure apps by scanning their faces.

Multiple facial recognition grids. /VCG Photo

The speed and accuracy of the sensor are set to be the feature's major selling points. By using facial recognition, users can unlock their iPhones within a few hundred milliseconds, a source inside Apple told Bloomberg.

Compared to fingerprint recognition, facial identification requires more data points. The complexity makes the feature more secure than the existing Touch ID system, which was introduced in 2013 with iPhone 5S.

Different usage scenarios were considered by the company when designing the function, such as unlocking the phone by face when it’s placed flat on a table.

A user tests the iris scanning security capability on the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. /VCG Photo

Besides Apple’s upcoming facial recognition feature, another smartphone giant, Samsung, adopted iris identification technology for its Galaxy Note7, which was released last August. Users can unlock their phones by putting their eyes in front the scanning area. However, the eye-scanning feature led to poor reviews, as many users were able to cheat the system with printed photos of the phone-owners’ eyes.

Apple's facial recognition tech is still being tested, which means the company is unlikely to apply it to the new phone slated for release later this year, according to Bloomberg's source. An Apple spokesman refused to comment.