Apple’s HomePod firmware is the gift that keeps on giving. When the company shared[1] an early build of the speaker firmware, many developers started digging around the strings in a library file to find hints about the next iPhone. And iHelp BR spotted[2] an interesting reference to the facial recognition feature.
A previous leak from the HomePod firmware revealed[3] that the iPhone 8 (or whatever they call it) is going to feature facial recognition to unlock your device. Codenamed Pearl ID, the feature should replace the usual Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
iHelp BR noticed that there’s a reference to a setting or a feature (“resting.pearl.unlock”) that lets you unlock your phone while it is resting on a table, on a desk or on any flat surface. I checked in the HomePod firmware and I found the same reference as well.
There are also references of third-party apps using Pearl. It sounds like developers will be able to provide facial unlocking for sensitive data. Developers can already use the Touch ID sensor with recent iPhones.
When reports started suggesting that Apple might drop Touch ID support altogether, people were skeptical at first. Facial recognition doesn’t seem practical as you don’t want to hold your phone in front of your face whenever you turn it on. There are also issues when your face is partially blocked or in the dark.
But it seems like Apple wants to make facial recognition more convenient than a fingerprint sensor. The company is relying on infrared to map your face so that it works in the dark. Multiple leaks also suggest that it should work if your face is at a weird angle. Today’s new reference confirms that...
Read more from our friends at TechCrunch