In addition to testing a new design for the iPhone 8, Apple is reportedly also trying out a new security feature.
Apple is testing a 3D face scanner for its next iPhone, according to a report from Bloomberg. The feature could reportedly scan a user’s face and unlock the phone within a few hundred milliseconds, and it’s said to work when the phone is laying on a table as well as when the user is holding the phone to their face.
Because this 3D face scanner has depth perception, it’s said that Apple’s technology wouldn’t be able to be fooled by photos of a person like some iris scanners already on the market.
In addition to being used to unlock the iPhone 8, it’s said that this 3D face scanner could be used to authenticate payments and launch secure apps.
It’s rumored that Apple’s next iPhone will have a new design that’ll include an edge-to-edge display on the front, with only a small cutout near the top of the display where the earpiece, front camera, and sensors will live. Because of this, Apple is rumored to be ditching the physical home button for a software button on this new iPhone. That could also be why Apple is considering switching from Touch ID to this 3D face scanner for unlocking the phone. A source of today’s story added that the 3D face scanner is more secure than Touch ID because it takes in more data points, so that’s something that Apple could tout as well.
