Security News > 2023 > October > Apple’s Face ID Cheat Sheet: What It Is and How to Use It

Apple made a big change in November 2017 when it released the iPhone X: It ditched Touch ID fingerprint security for a new face-based biometric sign-on tool called Face ID. The fingerprint scanner on most post-iPhone X Apple products is gone, and in its place is a new camera array capable of capturing a face map that is, according to Apple, 20 times less likely to be hacked than a Touch ID fingerprint.

Face ID maps faces in a similar way to how Touch ID maps fingerprints: It doesn't store an image, but instead makes a map of the face using data points.

Which devices support Face ID? While Apple has included Face ID on every iPhone - except iPhone SE - in recent years, on tablets the feature remains available only on iPad Pro devices as of 2023.

These devices have specific technology - TrueDepth cameras - that are required for Face ID to function, so don't expect older Apple devices to get Face ID support in the future.

How to set up and use Apple Face ID. Setting up Face ID is similar to setting up Touch ID: The phone will show a picture of your face, tell you to move it in a circle, so it can capture multiple angles, and will tell you when it has enough data.

How secure is Apple's Face ID? Although there are reports users have unlocked their iPhone using Face ID with their eyes closed - including when an iPhone's Face ID and Passcode menu option Require Attention for Face ID option is disabled - Apple states "Face ID requires that the TrueDepth camera sees your face or your eyes."

News URL

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/apples-face-id-everything-iphone-x-users-need-to-know/