CUPERTINO, Calif.—Apple is reportedly working to enhance security on iPhones, receiving a patent for facial recognition biometrics.
U.S. Patent #008994499, labeled "Locking and Unlocking a Mobile Device Using Facial Recognition," gives Apple the ability to help people protect their phones with a picture of their face, reports John Oldshue, founder of SaveOnPhone.com, Birmingham, Ala.
“Under the system, a mobile device will store an image of the owner's face and use that as a reference point when the person tries to lock or unlock the phone. If the phone does not recognize the user, the phone will automatically lock, which could help reduce the incidence of smartphone theft in the future,” Oldshue said.
Another version of the software will unlock a device based on the movement of the owner, added Oldshue. The device captures an initial image of the user and then another after some sort of motion, and compares the two to determine if the owner is still using the phone. If so, it unlocks the device. If not, it remains locked.
“Facial recognition locking is more a matter of security than convenience,” said Oldshue. “Using your fingerprint to open your phone is simple to do, but criminals have already found ways around that option. With facial recognition, there would be no denying who the owner of a device was and prevent an unauthorized user from getting into it.”
Oldshue noted that there is no information available on when or how the patent will be applied. “But its existence alone indicates some potentially exciting changes coming to the smartphone industry.”