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Video shows face recognition unlock for iPhone

by Steven Sande Jan 10th 2012 at 2:00PM

One of the features that graces the screens of many Android 4.0 phones is FaceUnlock, which uses facial recognition technology to unlock a phone rather than a simple swipe or swiping and entering a passcode. Now some devs have ported that capability to iOS and are promising that the capability will be available soon in the form of an app.

In the video below, there's a demo of this app-in-progress. It's pretty cool and seems to work well, although at least at this point it seems to be a bit slower than just swiping the home screen and tapping a four-digit code. What do you think, TUAW readers? Is this just an Android-y gimmick or the wave of the unlocking future? Tell us in the comments.

[via Engadget]



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One of the features that graces the screens of many Android 4.0 phones is FaceUnlock, which uses facial recognition technology to...
 

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13 Comments

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Sabau Vlad

Hi guys, I just got my iPhone 4s with IOS 5.0 and i can not Jailbreak the phone, BTW i just won the phone from here if I remember correctly, getappleproductsforfree(.)com please help me with a tutorial.

January 15 2012 at 11:55 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
CrazedLeper

How to beat it: Present it with a photograph of the owner.

January 10 2012 at 10:52 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tom

As long as their is some kind of key to override the biometric function, just in case it messes up, then it could be a convenient option...

January 10 2012 at 4:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Lardo

This is fake. Well the app is on the app store. But it dos not provide that functionality. As there is no way to even train the face recognition, it can't be used as a fun app to, fool friends either. The screenshots in the app store don't match the product. It just a rip,of, don't buy it. If you did, use the Report a Problem button to report it to apple (as I did)

January 10 2012 at 3:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
wonderful

I'd like to try it. Please give me your phone and a photograph of your face.

January 10 2012 at 3:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
shippster

Would suck for calling someone if you just had a bike wreck and your face got all messed up - yeah you could call 911, but not anyone else to let them know what's going on.

January 10 2012 at 3:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to shippster's comment
dewfm11

how often do you have injuries that mess your face up? or hear of that happening? and using my phone would be the last thing i would care about (like you said you still got 911), my face is jacked up!

January 11 2012 at 11:12 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
apocolipse

Firstly, this is simply a novelty AppStore App, in no way provides Security. Secondly, UI looks nice. 3rdly, already had it for 8 months for the only types of iphones it would actually /lock/ on....jailbroken iphones...its called RecognizeMe http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/18/biometric-face-recognition-iphone-unlock-now-available-courtesy/
...

January 10 2012 at 2:58 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
exNewt

Not secure enough, someone could cut your face off, just like in Face Off!

January 10 2012 at 2:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Erik N

Biometric verification by itself is a pretty terrible way to do security. If someone guesses your password you can always change it, but if someone figures out how to copy your thumbprint, voice, face, retina, etc. then you are ******.

January 10 2012 at 2:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Erik N's comment
ThatDanWilliams

Dude.. biotmetric is a GREAT way to do security. Just not on phones. If someone figures out how to copy your thumbprint, voice, face, retina, etc.. then there is some serious reason they are trying to hack your device, account, etc.

It's going to be a lot harder to socially engineer biometric verification from someone than it would a alpha-numberic password.

January 10 2012 at 2:34 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to ThatDanWilliams's comment
ThatDanWilliams

Correction: A thumbprint scanner would be great on a phone since you're already holding it that way, using the thumb to slide the bar, type the number, etc. That would be the only way I could see biometric working for phones.

January 10 2012 at 2:35 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down
ThatDanWilliams

It's pretty cool but there's no front mounted flash, so how does this fair at night when lighting is minimal?

Not to mention, it would get OVERLY annoying to do that if you text, email, tweet frequently.

A cool gimmick it is, secure it is, convenient it is not.

January 10 2012 at 2:30 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
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