Face ID

Face ID
Developer(s)Apple Inc.
Initial releaseNovember 2017; 7 years ago (2017-11)
Operating system
PredecessorTouch ID
TypeBiometric authentication
LicenseProprietary license
Websitesupport.apple.com/en-us/HT208108 Edit this on Wikidata

Face ID is a biometric authentication facial recognition system designed and developed by Apple Inc. for the iPhone and iPad Pro. The system can be used for unlocking a device,[1] making payments, accessing sensitive data, providing detailed facial expression tracking for Animoji, as well as six degrees of freedom (6DOF) head-tracking, eye-tracking, and other features. Initially released in November 2017 with the iPhone X, it has since been updated and introduced to all iPhones outside of SE models and all iPad Pro models from 2018 onwards.[2] Users on iOS 18 and newer can choose to lock specific apps, requiring Face ID to access them.[3]

The Face ID hardware consists of a sensor with three modules; a laser[4] dot projector that projects a grid of small infrared dots onto a user's face, a module called the flood illuminator that shines infrared light at the face, and an infrared camera that takes an infrared picture of the user, reads the resulting pattern, and generates a 3D facial map. This map is compared with the registered face using a secure subsystem, and the user is authenticated if the two faces match sufficiently. The system can recognize faces with glasses, clothing, makeup, and facial hair, and it adapts to changes in appearance over time.

Face ID has sparked a number of debates about security and privacy. Apple claims that Face ID is statistically more advanced than Touch ID fingerprint scanning.[5] It exhibits significantly fewer false positives. Multiple security features largely limit the risk of the system being bypassed using photos or masks, and only one proof-of-concept attempt using detailed scans has succeeded. Debate continues over the lack of legal protections offered by biometric systems as compared to passcode authentication in the United States. Privacy advocates have also expressed concern about third-party app developers' access to "rough maps" of user facial data, despite rigid requirements by Apple of how developers handle facial data.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was noted that Face ID was unable to recognize users wearing face coverings on some devices.[6][7] Apple responded to criticism by offering faster fallback to passcode input, and the option for Apple Watch users to confirm whether they intended to unlock their iPhone.[8] In March 2022, Apple released iOS 15.4 which adds mask-compatible Face ID for iPhone 12 and later devices.[9]

  1. ^ "Apple's Face ID: Cheat sheet". TechRepublic. June 11, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  2. ^ "About Face ID advanced technology". Apple Support. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  3. ^ "iOS 18 Preview". Apple. 2024-06-10. Archived from the original on 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  4. ^ "Apple awards Finisar $390 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund". apple.com. vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) power some of Apple's most popular new features, including Face ID
  5. ^ "Apple Special Event 2017". YouTube.
  6. ^ Collins, Katie (October 20, 2020). "Our masks make Face ID useless. iPhone 12 did nothing to fix it". CNET. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Asmelash, Leah (11 August 2020). "New York's MTA is asking Apple to create a Face ID that works with masks". CNN. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  8. ^ "iPhone update lets Apple Watch users unlock Face ID in a mask". The Guardian. 2021-02-02. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Apple Support 2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).