In the Future You Might Be Able to Unlock Your iPhone with a Selfie

On March 31^st, 2015 Apple won the patent for locking and unlocking a mobile device using facial recognition. Facial recognition has been around for years on various Windows computers and Android phones, but Apple’s version claims to be different.

Android’s current version requires the user to press a button on the device to light the screen, then the facial recognition application will begin, and the phone will unlock. Apple’s version will be slightly different and the idea is that it will be much faster. In Apple’s patent an iPhone will be able to detect, via the accelerometer, when the user is holding the iPhone near their face. This upward motion towards the face is supposed to be natural, and this will remove the unnecessary step of pressing a button in effort to unlock the phone.

Little else is known about the selfie unlock feature. However, we do know that much like Touch ID, where you can add multiple fingerprints, the selfie unlock feature will allow you to add multiple faces to the registry.

It’s commonly known that Android’s facial recognition unlock method is insecure. Hackers can simply place a picture of the phone owner in front of the camera and the phone will unlock, making an Android phone extremely vulnerable. Apple has been a leader in mobile phone security since Touch ID, Find My iPhone, Activation Lock, and Remote erase have been released, so it is unlikely that Apple’s facial recognition software will be unveiled until it is tested and proven to be secure.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]