Apple patents describe dual biometric iPhones and numerous Face ID uses

A pair of patents applications filed by Apple have been published by the European Patent Office, describing numerous uses of Face ID and how it could be used along with Touch ID in a future iPhone, Patently Apple reports.

The filings describe the difficulty for users of presenting biometric features with sensors in the same way they were aligned for enrollment, and the risk of false negative matches from caused by the difficulty. Face ID’s 3D scanning mitigates this, by scanning facial features from different angles and adding the third dimension to the template. One of the patents describes the method of authorizing a purchase by double clicking the side button after a Face ID match, which is the current method Apple is implementing.

The other patent mentions Touch ID in the text only once, according to Patently Apple, but shows it in several figures as a backup option if Face ID fails, as well as a password backing up one or both biometrics. Numerous use cases for Face ID are explained, including sending Animojis in SMS messages and authorizing purchases online and in person at a retail store.

Patently Apple notes that the Huawei Mate 20 RS Porsche smartphone includes both 3D facial recognition and an in-display fingerprint sensor.

Apple also recently patented a system for granting device access with voice biometrics.

Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy S10 smartphone line is expected to include in-display fingerprint sensors, but despite fevered speculation, it is unknown if they will also include facial biometrics.

Article Topics

Apple  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  patents