Slashdot Mirror


Face ID Deemed Too Costly To Copy, Android Makers Target In-Display Fingerprint Sensors Instead (9to5mac.com)

"Android phone makers are 'rushing' to implement fingerprint sensors under the display for upcoming handsets," reports 9to5Mac, citing a new report from Digitimes. "Android manufacturers have decided that recreating the 3D facial recognition used by iPhone X is simply too costly to include, and are instead focusing on implementing Qualcomm's ultrasonic fingerprint scanners." From the report: The report says that including an Infrared depth-sensing facial recognition system like the iPhone X is simply too expensive for Android smartphones to offer, which cannot command the same price premiums as Apple's iPhones. This is a combination of hardware and software development costs. Digitimes claims the cost of the TrueDepth 3D sensors in iPhone X peaked at $60 per unit, an incredibly high proportion of the overall phone cost if accurate. Android makers are also worried about possible patent infringement from adopting Infrared dot projector systems. Instead, they have turned to in-display fingerprint sensors as their next-generation of device authentication. This depends on using Qualcomm technology for ultrasonic-based fingerprint scanners, which can sit below the cover glass and work even if fingers are wet or greasy.

129 comments

  1. Better anyway by 110010001000 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    FaceID is a terrible idea anyway. Notches in the screen? Seriously?

    1. Re:Better anyway by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      I wonder if you could get a selfie camera behind the screen too. With an LCD it can go fully transparent, but the camera would make the backlighting uneven. That could be solved with some kind of movable cover or reflective one-way surface. Would probably not meet the standards for high end image reproduction but might be enough just for the status bar area.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:Better anyway by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Eventually they will move FaceID to work from behind the screen and they won't need the notch. The current implementation is bad, but they need to sell $1000 phones now to keep the money rolling in.

    3. Re:Better anyway by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      Apple will make a lot of money attacking 'the notch' as ugly as soon as they have something notchless to sell to the sheeple.

    4. Re:Better anyway by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      FaceID seems to be working fine for me. I find its limitations to be less then what finger print readers have. Trying to unlock the phone while your hands are sweaty, dirty, or have gloves.
      The Notches in the iPhone X screen has little to do with the FaceID, and more to due with the fact they could accomplish a non-rectangle screen with the OLED Display, Other Android phone with OLED Displays are using notches as well. Just because you can use that extra real estate for more information.

      That said, FaceID isn't really that big of a selling point, I much rather point out faster processors, and better screens. Which is a back and forth game. The only reason why I havn't switched to Android, is because I want to keep my Apps. And the difference between the iPhone and the equlivlant Android is so minute, that I really just don't care. If I could move my Apps over to the Android, then when I am up for a new phone, and my current one is getting behind the times, then I would get one.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    5. Re:Better anyway by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 5, Informative

      FaceID is a terrible idea anyway. Notches in the screen? Seriously?

      Amazingly, they are copying the notch , just not the faceID.

    6. Re:Better anyway by jon3k · · Score: 1

      It just added extra screen and moved icons there. It works really well in practice. Instead of those icons taking up that whole line all the time they were moved up into the corners beside the notch.

    7. Re: Better anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      And then what will the slashdot whiners whine about?

    8. Re: Better anyway by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      If you think the most egregious thing about the way Apple operates is 'the notch' you're seriously deluded.

    9. Re:Better anyway by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Amazingly, they are copying the notch , just not the faceID.

      So, there're merely a good artist, not a great one then.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    10. Re:Better anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea my S8 has retina scan as well as face recognition and about 10 other ways to authenticate

    11. Re:Better anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FaceID is a terrible idea anyway. Notches in the screen? Seriously?

      Amazingly, they are copying the notch
      , just not the faceID.

      Well Apple copied the notch so whatever.

    12. Re:Better anyway by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1

      Well Apple copied the notch so whatever.

      Not even Apple thinks it's a feature, knee-jerk. Only those other phone makers think that.

  2. Sounds bad! by Carrot007 · · Score: 0

    Bad choice.

    I liked the fingerprint sensor on the back why my finger was likely to be. Even samsung eventually saw this was the way to go.

    On the front as well souinds fine, but I see them removing the usable one.

    And fuck face id, fuck it, waste of fucking time. May as well just remove all access controls.

    --
    +----------------- | What is the question!
    1. Re: Sounds bad! by kurkosdr · · Score: 1

      I agree on the fingerprint thing. Android OEMs did one thing better than Apple, putting the fingerprint sensor in the correct spot (at the back), now they want to copy Apple anyway by putting the fingerprint sensor at the front. I disagree when it comes to Face ID. It's nice to look at the screen and have the phone unlock itself, but the iPhone X is expensive and is an iPhone (no Kodi, emulators and sideloading).

    2. Re: Sounds bad! by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      I agree on the fingerprint thing. Android OEMs did one thing better than Apple, putting the fingerprint sensor in the correct spot (at the back), now they want to copy Apple anyway by putting the fingerprint sensor at the front. I disagree when it comes to Face ID. It's nice to look at the screen and have the phone unlock itself, but the iPhone X is expensive and is an iPhone (no Kodi, emulators and sideloading).

      Since when does the iPhone have "no Kodi"?

      While there is no Kodi App on the Apple iOS App Store, you CAN Sideload the Kodi .apt file using Cydia Impactor. This does not require Jailbreaking, and is completely legit and ok with Apple (since iOS 8.0).

    3. Re: Sounds bad! by kurkosdr · · Score: 1

      At first I decided to take your comments at face value, but then I thought I should dig a little deeper. Turns out that in order to "sideload" an app on an iOS device you need to have a developer account and even then your app will have to be uninstalled and reinstalled every year, losing user data in the process. And you have to do this for your Kodi and all your emulators. Pass. I 'd rather have an Android device which actually supports sideloading (and even accepts Kodi and emulators on the Play Store) instead of jumping through developer loopholes. FaceID is not worth it and the iPhone X (the only iOS device that has it) is too expensive anyway.

  3. That's a terrible reason to do a good thing by PeterGM · · Score: 0

    I got facial recognition working with a VGA webcam hooked up to a Raspberry Pi v1.0. Your argument is invalid, manufacturers... but still don't do it anyway because it's a terrible idea.

    --
    There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.
    1. Re: That's a terrible reason to do a good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Your webcam will be fooled by a photo. These devices and the functionality they drive (authorize payments, unlock personal information, track location) is too important to use your cheesy webcam .

    2. Re:That's a terrible reason to do a good thing by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      I got facial recognition working with a VGA webcam hooked up to a Raspberry Pi v1.0.

      Your facial recognition and Apple's FaceID are not the same thing. Your webcam is not doing three-dimensional mapping of the subject.

    3. Re: That's a terrible reason to do a good thing by cas2000 · · Score: 1

      that functionality is too important to put on an easily stolen, easily hacked device like a phone.

      Only stupid people allow such devices have access to their bank or credit card accounts.

      That's probably 90+% of the human population, but that fact doesn't make it any less true. Stupid is still stupid even if almost everyone else is equally stupid.

    4. Re: That's a terrible reason to do a good thing by PeterGM · · Score: 1

      Your webcam will be fooled by a photo.

      I don't remember showing you the code. If you seen it then you'd remember that, in fact, it won't :) I've used a derivative of that software as part of a commercial product that I sell, it's a membership facility access system. It has some features to help prevent static images being used, among other things. I'm not saying it's the same approach used by Apple for their security features but it's much more in depth than simple pattern recognition. The reason I got it running on the RasPi is that I had planned on using the RasPi as a single board embedded system to run the whole package but I couldn't get it to run fast enough for comfortable user experience at the time. I ended up using different hardware but maybe the RasPi 3 is up to scratch.

      In addition you seem to have missed the point... I can get effective facial recognition working using old hardware but mobile phone manufacturers are saying that they can't get it working with modern cameras on modern mobile hardware because it's too costly. I call that bunk.

      --
      There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.
    5. Re:That's a terrible reason to do a good thing by PeterGM · · Score: 1

      I've never claimed it to be the same but that's exactly what it does though. It used basic face finding (a smile detector in fact) to narrow the scope of the images down to the relevant section, decreasing overhead, and then built up a vector map over 100 frames based on shading. It's hardly unique, there's a bunch of open source projects that do something very similar indeed.

      Not that you seem to need to be told given that you already know enough to tell me what it does and does not do but the release version uses two cameras.

      --
      There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.
  4. What? by Artem+S.+Tashkinov · · Score: 1, Interesting

    OnePlus 5T

    Huawei Mate 10

    Xiaomi Mi A1 - costs around $200. Works with most cellular operators of the world.

    1. Re:What? by Tyrannosaur · · Score: 1

      I had face unlock on my Note 2- in 2012. It is not well explained, but apparently faceid is supposed to work much better and faster (but doesnt?). It uses different technology I guess? So yeah.

    2. Re:What? by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      FaceID is harder to defeat than the method used in the Note2. However, that really doesn't matter. These systems just prevent casual unauthorized use of the phone. I'd rather have a screen without a notch on it.

    3. Re:What? by omnichad · · Score: 1

      The notch has nothing to do with FaceID and everything to do with Apple wanting the screen to go edge to edge from top to bottom. The front-facing webcam was already there in previous generations.

    4. Re:What? by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      I seem not to remember any previous generations of cell phones that used 3D infrared technology to recognize faces. Basically the notch is an upgraded and miniaturized Kinect.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    5. Re:What? by omnichad · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Look at a photo of iPhone 8. Where the notch would be, there is no screen at all. The notch is not because of Face ID. It's because Apple wanted the screen bigger.

    6. Re:What? by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Also it could have been driven by the desire to save every amount of screen space for the content. Apple could have not put the clock and system status on the X in the separate space and opted to do it the way other phones do it. Currently that means the clock and status are hidden during some content. Or that it overlays the content at different times which can be distracting.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  5. It works really well, though. by Brannon · · Score: 1

    The fingerprint thing was [for me] always finicky & unreliable. It created a perceptible sense of dread each time I was about to use it in non-optimal conditions. By comparison FaceID is unobtrusive and accurate.

    1. Re:It works really well, though. by 110010001000 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Not in my experience. Whenever I use FaceID says I am too ugly to own an iPhone. So rude!

    2. Re:It works really well, though. by ctilsie242 · · Score: 1

      Everyone has their different style.

      I have been using both Apple and Android fingerprint scanners for years, and have found them quite reliable, regardless of conditions. Not just for unlocking the phone, but for unlocking apps like my 2FA authenticator app, which basically adds another layer of authentication without much fuss.

      FaceID isn't really new. I have an old HTC device that could unlock just by looking at it, and it had the option to not unlock until you blinked for added security. I'd rather see a below the glass fingerprint scanner than additional sensors for more FaceID like authentication, but I'm sure there are many others who think the opposite.

    3. Re:It works really well, though. by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 2

      I have been using both Apple and Android fingerprint scanners for years, and have found them quite reliable, regardless of conditions.

      What about when your hands are wet? For me the fingerprint never works then.

    4. Re:It works really well, though. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2, Funny

      What about when your hands are wet? For me the fingerprint never works then.

      You're supposed to wipe your hands on your pants when you come out of the men's room. Don't handle your phone with wet hands. That's just nasty.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    5. Re:It works really well, though. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      FaceID isn't really new.

      Except it is. FaceID doesn't use the camera like the HTC. It fact, it doesn't even need visible light to function. It projects dots on your face using infrared and an infrared camera (separate from the photo/video camera) reads the map of your face.

    6. Re: It works really well, though. by AvitarX · · Score: 1

      I assume GP meant post shower/bath wrinkle fingers.

      Mine fails then.

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    7. Re:It works really well, though. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe apple should have taken the time and got touchid right.

    8. Re:It works really well, though. by arglebargle_xiv · · Score: 1

      Android makers are also worried about possible patent infringement

      Good thing they're not worried about mindlessly copying everything Apple does though.

      I'm not even saying this as an Apple fanboy, just an Android user who really doesn't want to see every random idea Apple has cloned badly into Android. It's bad enough when Firefox mindlessly copies everything Chrome does, I don't want my phone to fall into the same braindamage path.

    9. Re:It works really well, though. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except it is. FaceID doesn't use the camera like the HTC. It fact, it doesn't even need visible light to function. It projects dots on your face using infrared and an infrared camera (separate from the photo/video camera) reads the map of your face.

      That's a Kinect. You're describing a Kinect.

      So all Face ID is, is a smaller Kinect?

      I suppose that's new in that it's small, but it's NOT new. In fact it's rather quite old.

    10. Re:It works really well, though. by Rakarra · · Score: 0

      The fingerprint thing was [for me] always finicky & unreliable. It created a perceptible sense of dread each time I was about to use it in non-optimal conditions. By comparison FaceID is unobtrusive and accurate.

      The fingerprint scanner on my Galaxy S5 was highly unreliable, enough that I just turned it off and used my swipe pattern instead.
      But the scanner on the back of my Pixel 2 is pretty good, and a feature I had no idea that I would like and use as much as I am. Worst case, it doesn't work and I enter my passcode like I would have without a fingerprint scanner.

    11. Re: It works really well, though. by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1

      Not sure the tech difference between iPhone fingerprint and nexus/pixel, but I do know that the later unlocks faster and more accurately than both the former's fingerprint and face ID. Face ID also seems to be susceptible to being unlocked by people related to you even if they don't look like you (IMO photo based methods are better because of this, but I don't use either.) Not to mention, face ID can't easily be unlocked discretely. A problem with Apple's fingerprint scanner is that it's a glossy surface (I can very easily see the ridges of my fingerprint after I've pressed it; lifting it with tape to replicate it should be easy.) My Nexus and Pixel phones use a rough surface, so I can't see the print, and I doubt it would be easy to lift either (*maybe* you could lift it with heated super glue, but you'd probably damage the fingerprint reader if you tried that.)

  6. Sauce by Tsolias · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Best source for your Android news is ofc.... 9to5Mac.
    Who the fuck upvotes those submissions?

    1. Re:Sauce by Anubis+IV · · Score: 1

      Sourced via Digitimes, no less, the noted bastion of journalism.

      Oh wait, no, they pretty much report every single rumor from the Asian supply chain, with no regard for how far-fetched they are.

    2. Re:Sauce by jellomizer · · Score: 2

      Actually Apple sites are tougher on Apple then many non-Apple sites.
      They like to see what competing systems are doing to see trends in the market, as Apple tends to be late to the game, but show up in style.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re: Sauce by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bull. I used to work at an Apple reseller and no less than 50% of the news is wrong.

      Remember the sapphire screens? Yeah..I knew that wouldn't happen

    4. Re:Sauce by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Come on. If I wasn't seeing at least 80% shitposts I'd think I was on the wrong site.

  7. This is a huge advantage for Apple by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Apple is going to start bringing FaceID into tablets, laptops, etc.

    It's just a vastly better way to authenticate a person than a fingerprint, because it's passive. As others have said before, in practice it feels like you are using an unlocked phone, how it used to be... I look down and see I have notifications on my phone, before I can think about it the phone unlocks and I can see the notification text and press to open them if I like.

    It's also more secure and reliable than TouchID (which I still use with other devices so I have a daily direct comparison). Your fingers too dry or wet? No TouchID. And as you get older, your fingerprints get a lot harder to read - the government global entry readers can't even read my mom's fingerprints at all, and TouchID does not work for her as reliably as it does for me.

    Fingerprint ID systems are also way easier to spoof than FaceiD, especially behind the screen systems that can't measure some aspects of a finger being used that a direct sensor can. FaceID is about an order of magnitude more secure than fingerprints (even if you do hear the occasional story about a similar face unlocking a device, no-one tries as often with fingerprint sensors or they would find that can happen a lot more often).

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't want passive authentication. I want active. And I don't want Apple or Google having access to biometric info that I can't change. I'll keep my long passcode, thanks very much. Not a big deal to tap it in it I need the phone.

    2. Re: This is a huge advantage for Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      We don't believe you. Another iPhone X user who is trying to justify his $1000 purchase.

    3. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Microsoft laptops already have FaceID type authentication (Windows Hello or something). I don't see how this is an advantage.

    4. Re: This is a huge advantage for Apple by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Exactly. The giveaway was "I look down..and the phone unlocks". Yeah right.

    5. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      For some definitions of 'better' a passive ID system is true.

      For the rest of us, however, a passive ID is expressly what we do not want. When I am authenticating to a piece of technology, I want explicit control to trigger that action. I do NOT want it to happen without me thinking. I do NOT want it to become the assumed condition at all times.

      The scenario for the future is passive Face ID devices peppered throughout our environment, tagging us everywhere we go. Not at all interested. Specifically, I am not interested in participating in the development of that technology by paying lots of extra $$ to be an early adopter.

    6. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Passive authentication is very nice, when for example launching a Password Safe App.
      However, in my experience, there have been many use case scenarios, where FaceID was inferior and I wished TouchID had still been included; such as
      1. the phone lying flat on the table: before I could simply unlock it with my finger, now I have to freakin' bow my head over it
      2. lying in bed holding the phone overhead: the way I hold my X comfortably my hand obscures too much of the face to ID positively
      3. Using the phone on the fly: several times, I tried to use the phone while sipping a drink or putting on glasses in parallel, these kind of scenarios, which each time makes FaceID fail and you wish the phone would include both, TouchID and FaceID

      Just my $0.02 as an early iPhone X adopter. I was very happy with FaceID initially, and then slowly learned about the drawbacks during daily use. I am VERY sceptical regarding the usability of FaceID on tablets (see reason #1).

    7. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      I really don’t like passive unlocking - and I can’t really see anyone who cares about security wanting it.

      My MacBook Pro asked me if I wanted it to automatically unlock whenever my Apple Watch was in proximity, with the options being “turn it on” or “I’ll set it up later”. I looked, but there didn’t appear to be a “this stupid idea deserves to die in a fire” choice available.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    8. Re: This is a huge advantage for Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Android users use something like Lightflow to set up custom sounds for each type of notification (text from a certain sender and so on). If somethings important, they'll hear the appropriate sound and respond to it.

      "Looking down" takes far too much effort.

    9. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    10. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by bangular · · Score: 1

      Passwords are basically fingerprint authentication for which you have to put your finger in a location n times.

    11. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As has been documented and confirmed by Apple, they don't have access to your bio-metric data, it stays on the device.

      This has been discussed on Slashdot and other technology sites for months. Did you just wake from a coma?

    12. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by burtosis · · Score: 1

      You can keep your passcode, even make it quite long with numbers letters and symbols. You are not forced to use it any more than you were forced to use the fingerprint reader.

    13. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's just a vastly better way to authenticate a person than a fingerprint, because it's passive.

      I find it really handy in the winter, where my capacitive-touch-capable gloves let me use the phone, except for unlocking it with TouchID. With FaceID, I just touch the screen and swipe up, no need to take the glove off for the fingerprint phase.

    14. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I used to think "long passcode" was more secure until my friend recorded me typing in my passcode over my shoulder.

    15. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's just a vastly better way to authenticate a person than a fingerprint, because it's passive

      That's the worst thing about FaceID. I do NOT want to accidentally authenticate. False positives are much much worse than false negatives here.

      "Yeah, I know we did not have a warrant to unlock the phone. It's not our fault the phone was open... I mean the suspect looked at the general direction of his cellphone and then it opened... Arguments that we placed the suspect so that he would 'accidentally' look at the phone are misplaced. He really should have controlled where he looked".

      Worse, an authentication method I cannot control means the phone may ID me even when I do not want to be IDed. Now I can't do anything anonymously with the phone (admittedly, a dubious operation even without FaceID - but impossible with it).

    16. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

      No, they're not. My wife can use my passcode if needed. Without cutting off my finger.

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    17. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a huge pain in the ass, that's FaceID. I own an iPhone X, shortly after its launch. Work cycle upgrade - it was my turn. FaceID sucks ass. I much, much, much preferred TouchID.

      Real world use case: It's 4AM. You get a couple of text messages. You can't see what they say until you unlock. Good idea. OK. You cannot unlock your fucking iPhone X with your face while laying down in bed. You'll have to turn from sideways to flat on your back. Even then, it's at best a 1 in 5 unlock. So you need to tap in your passcode.

      Now, I've tried turning off attention. It does fuckall good if you're horizontal. Better at bleary-eyed got up in the morning unlock.

      With TouchID, I would've reached under the pillow, put my thumb on it, and been able to see what the text messages were about by the time I cracked open one eye to read the screen sideways.

      Asked to swap out my iPhone X for my iPhone 6S with a battery replacement.

  8. Android Fails Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    iPhone rules. Android couldn't innovate its way out of a brown paper bag.

  9. voiceprint better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I want to factor ID. I don't want only fingerprints ID because courts precedent says I can be compelled to give fingerprint. I would like voiceprint ID added to both fingerprint or face ID. I have the right of silence in this country (USA).

    1. Re:voiceprint better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Two factor.

    2. Re:voiceprint better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Too factor.

    3. Re:voiceprint better by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      The idea behind two factor authentication is something you have and something you know. Like you have to have a particular card and you have to know a passcode in order to get in the building. Just having a card or just knowing a code won't do it--you need both.

      The interesting thing, and IANAL so I may have this wrong, is that the courts can compel you to provide things you have (like finger prints or your face) but you cannot be compelled to provide something you know. So if I have an "unlock code" on my phone, I can't necessarily be compelled to tell them the code. But I can be compelled to unlock the phone with my finger prints.

      A voiceprint ID would, in theory, only work if you got to pick the phrase. I can be compelled to provide my voice, but I can't be compelled to tell them what the phrase is. I'd also be worried about somebody using a recording. I picture a suspect being compelled to read every word in the Oxford English Dictionary...

      So if you're worried about the government, the best thing for you to do would be to have both a biometric sensor (finger print, face, etc.) and a passcode. I'm not sure if iOS or Android has the option for both.

  10. Those are optical & can be fooled with a pictu by Brannon · · Score: 4, Informative

    FaceID used infra-red depth-sensing, which makes it a lot more accurate and harder to fool.

  11. Face ID Deemed Fucking Useless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    FTFY

  12. This is a huge advantage for faces. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Active? As in a hand reaches out of the screen and feels the bumps on your face?

  13. Nope, not even close by SuperKendall · · Score: 5, Informative

    Microsoft laptops already have FaceID type authentication

    Sigh. Face recognition from images is utterly not the same thing as FaceID which uses a 3D mapping of the face from a variety of sensors.

    Image Facial Recognition is about as secure as a TSA approved padlock.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Nope, not even close by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      The implementation is different, but the end user result is the same. I know you are 100% sold on the Apple marketing, but FaceID is not any more more secure than Microsoft Hello. (Even though FaceID has 30,000 infrared dots! So impressive!)

    2. Re:Nope, not even close by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/device-experiences/windows-hello-face-authentication

      Why are you sighing? You should probably take a quick look at other people's tech before dismissing it.

      Windows Hello use an Infrared webcam to get more information about the user's face than just an image facial recognition.

    3. Re:Nope, not even close by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      Image Facial Recognition is about as secure as a TSA approved padlock.

      Yes but there are varying degrees. It is actually quite hard to fool the one on Surface laptops due to taking 2 images in colour and in near IR. Producing a photograph or something to fool this kind of sensing is incredibly difficult requiring custom printer dyes and some very careful working adjusting of the image to produce a photo that passed both the visual and near IR detection.

      I did see a paper where some researchers did so, but then I've also seen one where they bypassed Face ID through the use of a carefully constructed model which comes back to: both systems can be defeated given enough time and effort.

      But point is: not all visual based systems are the same and there are many out there that are a fuckload better than those early Android based unlock systems which could be fooled by holding someone's drivers license up to the phone.

    4. Re:Nope, not even close by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Image Facial Recognition is about as secure as a TSA approved padlock.

      The only padlock TSA would approve, is one with a master key/backdoor .

  14. That's just wonderful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's just wonderful, said the guy with palmar hyperhydrosis who can never get a fingerprint scanner to work on anything.

  15. Why? by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Informative

    I don't want passive authentication. I want active.

    Why? FaceID is active when needed (like for conformation of a purchase). But the rest to the time, it works instantly when it knows you are the one looking at the phone.

    And I don't want Apple or Google having access to biometric info that I can't change.

    Right there with you! Luckily FaceID data is only held on the device (in the Secure Enclave where it remains encrypted) and does not leave it. Apple does not get any biometric data from you.

    I'll keep my long passcode, thanks very much

    That is more secure than any biometric system, just a lot more annoying. It means you turn off other things like notification text blocking or have larger purchase unlock timeframes because you don't want to have to enter passcodes as often...

    And even then, I'm not sure passcodes are realistically more secure.

    I mean, realistically how much are you willing to suffer - either physically or legally - before you unlock your phone by whatever means you have? The realistic reason why you have a passcode is so that someone can't unlock your phone you leave on a table by accident, or lose in a cab. In that case FaceID works every bit as well as a long passcode, and is far more convenient the 99.999999999% of the time you have not left your phone in a cab.

    Fingerprint scanners are pretty good but with a 1 in 50k chance that someone else's fingerprint will unlock your phone is it more possible some random person might unlock it.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re: Why? by datavirtue · · Score: 2

      "Apple does not get any biometric data from you."

      We are literally slipping down the slope as we read this. Hardly an assurance.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    2. Re: Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...and gaining speed, and the iTards are all just screaming "weeeee!" the whole way, while holding on to the phones they pay four figures to upgrade every year.

    3. Re: Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Read https://images.apple.com/business/docs/FaceID_Security_Guide.pdf

    4. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't want passive authentication. I want active.

      Why? FaceID is active when needed (like for conformation of a purchase). But the rest to the time, it works instantly when it knows you are the one looking at the phone.

      I would guess that GP wants to be the one to activate the authentication process, and for it to not happen automatically at any moment "randomly".

    5. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Any random power tripping cop (so, pretty much every cop) can bypass your phone security simply by pointing it at your face and there isn't anything you can do about it. At least with a password they'd need to get a warrant and even then it's still your call whether or not to comply.

    6. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > "I mean, realistically how much are you willing to suffer - either physically or legally - before you unlock your phone by whatever means you have? The realistic reason why you have a passcode is so that someone can't unlock your phone you leave on a table by accident, or lose in a cab. In that case FaceID works every bit as well as a long passcode, and is far more convenient the 99.999999999% of the time you have not left your phone in a cab."

      with how governments are becoming more comfortable with just taking electronics and swiping them, copying data at borders --- NO --- i do not want TSA to just grab my phone point it at my face and snarf up everything off the phone.

      You seem pretty vested in defending this tech. I will just say it feels like you're a paid shill.

      I do not want a phone that scans everything around me, listens to everything around me, reports everything about me. And sending it off to god knows where without my knowledge.

      I want a phone, that calls/texts, email, take s a picture, plays some music, browses the web, is secure*, and doesn't send anything to anyone else.

      *password, i don't want it to scan my fingerprint, i don't want it scanning my face and everything around me.

    7. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was a couple weeks ago. Now it only costs them $50 to get your data.

  16. Google and Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Collecting your fingerprints and faces for the CIA

  17. Do not want by xaosflux · · Score: 1

    Don't want face ID, and don't want on-screen fingerprint ID either! My android has on-edge fingerprint today and works perfect, integrated in to the side mounted power button. I'm already pushing it anyway, can touch without messing the screen and don't have to move my hand again since it is where my finger will naturally rest when holding the phone. No need to be an imitator when you are already best!

  18. What slope? It is a plateau. by SuperKendall · · Score: 3, Interesting

    We are literally slipping down the slope as we read this. Hardly an assurance.

    What about years and years of past behavior? There has been no slope; when possible Apple has kept personal data either encrypted or local only.

    TouchID fingerprint data was also only ever held on device. You had to re-train for a new phone or tablet, even if you'd backed up the device locally.

    Apple doesn't need or crave your data the way Google does. They have no advertisers to feed info to about usage, you just buy your device and that's enough for Apple.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  19. That's exactly how FaceID works... by Brannon · · Score: 1

    Have you tried it?

  20. Not the same, not in any way by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The implementation is different, but the end user result is the same.

    Incorrect: If you are in a very dark environment it will not work, or if you are wearing glasses when you were not, or lots of other things where FaceID can clearly see and tell it is you when an image recognition cannot... it's not just being able to prevent anyone with a picture of you from unlocking your device we are talking about.

    I know you are 100% sold on the Apple marketing

    I'm not *sold on Apple marketing*.

    The difference between you and me is I KNOW what is and is not marketing. You are just assuming something real is marketing; I use FaceID a hundred times a day or more, and still use TouchID nearly as much. So, I actually know what the hell I am talking about from a practical standpoint, not from any marketing.

    I have also done a fair amount of my own work with image/facial recognition so I know exactly how "secure" it is not, and also know the many, many ways it may fail.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Not the same, not in any way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know you are 100% sold on the Apple marketing, but FaceID is not any more more secure than Microsoft Hello.

      The difference between you and me is I KNOW what is and is not marketing. You are just assuming something real is marketing; I use FaceID a hundred times a day or more, and still use TouchID nearly as much. So, I actually know what the hell I am talking about from a practical standpoint, not from any marketing.

      Please, do explain how using FaceID makes you qualified to evaluate its level of security? Also, I notice you picked the GP's first half of the sentence and ignored the second half to which it connected. Then you responded with assumptions (how do you know they do not understand what is marketing and what is not?) and added a series of offered-as-is statements that mean next to nothing and refute absolutely nothing.

      Do try to troll better next time, it's really not rocket science.

    2. Re:Not the same, not in any way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      fucking apple cultist think people just believe them because of their blind foolish faith

  21. Re:Those are optical & can be fooled with a pi by stephanruby · · Score: 1

    Some Android models use iris recognition, which makes it a lot more accurate and harder to fool.

    In any case, the main submission is just flamebait.

    Face ID / Iris scanning may be great for some security form factors, but they're not the most optimal for phones.

    That's the real story, here.

  22. Re:What slope? It is a plateau. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What about years and years of past behavior? There has been no slope

    For a hundred thousand years humans did not wallow under a single totalitarian government. Therefore humans will never wallow under a totalitarian government.

  23. Simple strategy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My phone cost me $20. It doesn't have any apps. No data plan either. No Internet.

    Whoever steals it really isn't getting much.

    I do all my Internet-y stuff from my PC. I won't go into details about how I manage authentication there, but I will say that it is both retro and strong.

  24. Great sensor by burtosis · · Score: 1

    The infrared depth of field sensor is awesome, it's really too bad it's only used for authentication and to aid in making hilarious face augmentations. I would like to see it used as part of a 3D scanning system. Want an item you have put into a game or virtual reality program? Just scan it in. Want to copy a 3D object, scan it up and get a cad file for your 3-D printer. You can use mosaicking similar to panorama shots to stitch it together. This tech has some really neat possibilities.

    1. Re:Great sensor by GuB-42 · · Score: 1

      It already exists, it is called a Kinect, and it has many third party applications.
      The FaceID system is essentially a miniature Kinect coupled with proprietary software for face recognition.

    2. Re:Great sensor by burtosis · · Score: 1

      I didn't know the Kinect was a phone now.

    3. Re:Great sensor by GuB-42 · · Score: 1

      It is not, but for your application, a Kinect may be what you need. iPhones are generally terrible for creative work anyways (it is not the Apple "Pro" line).

      If you really want to use a phone, I think you can plug your Kinect on an Android device with a USB OTG connection. I don't think there is any kind of official support but you will probably have better luck than with an iPhone.

    4. Re:Great sensor by burtosis · · Score: 1

      I've used hacked Kinect sensors as far back as when I worked in a distributed robotics lab as an undergrad. This was forever ago when they first came out (far easier nowadays with all the info available). We were psyched that they could be a cheap alternative to the SICK laser scanners that we were using on our larger robots. We also hacked laser mice to measure actual distance (doubly so on designs that the drive system slipped with respect to the ground) and did all kinds of fun stuff. I would have killed for a smaller sensor, integrated into a phone, so that I could use it as the brains for miniature robotic platforms. Doing slam well, even with a 6 foot range on the depth of field sensor, on an inexpensive robot that would fit in my palm would be a dream come true. In 5 years people will start throwing these phones away for almost no money, doubly so when a button gets stuck or the screen gets a crack. That's when the really cool kids will live my dream.

  25. Re:NGood pointsot the same, not in any way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You raise good points. I am not in the market for either one.

    When New York passes the bill for no official contact after-hours my customers will memorize my land line number =)

  26. That's why FaceID is better by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    I really don't like passive unlocking - and I can't really see anyone who cares about security wanting it.
    My MacBook Pro asked me if I wanted it to automatically unlock whenever my Apple Watch was in proximity

    But that's totally different. In the case of the Apple Watch, you might be near but not looking at the screen. It has no way to measure intent or true presence.

    Witch FaceID the key to such a better usability model is not just that it is passive, the key is that it can perceive attention. It KNOWS if you are looking at the screen, vs. just being around - and it doesn't unlock unless you are paying attention to the screen (there is a setting to disable attention as in some cases like a blind user it's not possible to discern attention).

    I do use the Apple Watch unlocking as I'm never close enough for my Apple Watch to unlock my laptop without it being in sight and the Apple Watch will not unlock the Mac unless it is also unlocked (meaning it's on my wrist after I have unlocked it at some point).

    I would prefer FaceID on a laptop or desktop because then as I sat down, it could unlock automatically when I looked up at the screen... Again, in practice it would be like I didn't even have a passcode, useful most of the time but still just as secure as a passcode only in practice.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  27. It's not random by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Informative

    I would guess that GP wants to be the one to activate the authentication process, and for it to not happen automatically at any moment "randomly".

    It's not at all random. It's when you are looking at the screen.

    Even then for some actions (like payments) it still prompts for confirmation, so it's not always completely automatic - just when that makes sense, like unlocking the phone (unlocking does not go to the home screen).

    If you are in some app asking for a password the system can auto-fill, it does so - but does not submit it for you. Again, it's automatic in ways that are handy, but not ways that take some action you might not have wanted.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:It's not random by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So what happens when a backgrounded shady app requests authentication to harvest user data?

    2. Re:It's not random by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thats easy; apple blames everyone but themselves.

  28. article is wrong on something by Espectr0 · · Score: 2

    claims android phone makers cannot charge apple's premiums. Then why the pixel XL is more expensive that the iphone 8 plus? How about the Galaxy note 8?

    1. Re:article is wrong on something by thegarbz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Then why the pixel XL is more expensive that the iphone 8 plus? How about the Galaxy note 8?

      None of the devices you listed including the iPhone 8+ have Face ID.
      All are significantly cheaper than the iPhone X which does have Face ID.

      The article itself is trollbait and probably wrong for other reasons, but logically at least this part makes perfect sense. Combine that with the fact that there's a huge worldwide shortage on VCSEL arrays I happily believe that Face ID isn't being implemented due to cost reasons.

    2. Re:article is wrong on something by Espectr0 · · Score: 1

      the iphone X is on a different category and no device competes directly with it. until samsung releases the note X or something, the S series competes with the iphone #, while the Note series competes with the iphone # plus.

    3. Re:article is wrong on something by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      the iphone X is on a different category and no device competes directly with it.

      What a silly comment. Every device competes directly with devices from other categories too. Moving price classes is a form of direct competition. My hatchback also competed against a Ferrari for my wallet. The hatchback won not only due to cost but also practicality.

      The iPhone X is a nice phone, but to say no device competes directly with it is absurd.

    4. Re:article is wrong on something by Espectr0 · · Score: 1

      most likely you can't afford the ferrari, so honestly you can't compare both. unless you had the money and your (flawed) value system made you compare both cars, this isn't a fair comparison

  29. "Apple does not get any biometric data from you." by antdude · · Score: 1

    How do you know? Just because Apple says that doesn't mean they can sneakly do it. Do we believe them?

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  30. Re:What slope? It is a plateau. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and apple is no way trustworthy.

  31. Re:Those are optical & can be fooled with a pi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Some Android models FAKE THE use iris recognition

    There I fix it. Not one single Android device has ever done real iris recognition.

  32. Re:What slope? It is a plateau. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Years and years of past behaviour?

    - "No reasonable person would believe us"
    - bending over releasing cloud data (china or otherwise), instead of encrypting it.
    - APL has an advertising interface -- one that bugged out recently and gave other people's app information to the wrong developer. If you actually think APL doesn't have any presence in advertising... I mean, why would anyone even bother using their stuff if the advertising is ineffective?
    - Is there any proof that the data isn't sent anywhere? How about a code review? Network sniffing? Apple's straight up lied about functionality of their voice assistant among other things. Don't forget the battery issue that just happened a couple months ago.

    Look closer at what they do, not what they say. They are *NOT* a trustworthy company.

  33. Re:This is a huge advantage for Apple and Don Knot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fucking Opie from Mayberry RFD is the master passkey to FaceID.

  34. Tired of senseless copying by iampiti · · Score: 4, Insightful

    As an Android fan I'm tired of Android phone manufacturers copying everything the iPhone does (copying also happens the inverse way). It may be nice to copy good ideas but some manufacturers also insist in copying the bad ones. e.g.: Headphone jack removal and, worst of all, the notch.

    1. Re:Tired of senseless copying by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      "It may be nice to copy good ideas but some manufacturers also insist in copying the bad ones. e.g.: Headphone jack removal"

      Android phones without a headphone jack predate the iPhone removal.

  35. good by sad_ · · Score: 0

    face ID doesn't work properly anyway, and it is too expensive.
    why would you want it?

    --
    On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
  36. The Involuntary Fingerprint scanning is coming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Put this behind the screen, the NSA quarter of the Qualcom chip reads finger print out of band and sends back. Done.

  37. Re:Those are optical & can be fooled with a pi by Holi · · Score: 1

    It's super plus good at keeping your kids out of your phone,... kind of... not really.

    --
    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  38. MY Intellectual property by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    All of my BIO data is MY intellectual property and not subject to ANY entity's use.

    By collecting or attempting to use it in any form, those that collect it are agreeing to pay me $10,000,000 (Ten Million U.S. Dollars) per incident.

  39. Re:"Apple does not get any biometric data from you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think it's fairly easy to deduce given what security researchers have been able to pick apart. - And they pick over iOS devices pretty thoroughly considering their popularity and world wide ubiquity.

    Also consider Apple's stance on security. They clearly do not want access to your secured biometric data. It's too much trouble. The less they hold, the less they can be subpoenaed for. (And this isn't because they are nice! It's in their best financial interest. It's an expensive process, and it makes their customers trust them less)

    They've stated your biometric data stays in a secured enclave and we've been given no reason to belive otherwise. If it were being copied elsewhere someone would notice via meta-analysis. There are millions and millions of iphones in the wild. It would be a huge secret to keep it on all of them.

  40. Re:"Apple does not get any biometric data from you by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

    How do you know? Just because Apple says that doesn't mean they can sneakly do it. Do we believe them?

    Because there's a good reason for Apple to not have it?

    As in, law enforcement?

    There are two ways to not give law enforcement something. One, is to simply not have it. The other, is to say it is not available to them for some reason.

    The former is easy to defend - if you don't keep logs, then really, you cannot produce them when asked to. Granted, you may be forced to keep records after the fact if you have access to the data (e.g., you may not log log IP addresses, but you can be forced to simply because that information is given to you). But if you're not given that information, you can't even log it. So Apple does not back up in iCloud stuff like your passwords and all that, either (because that's a nice juicy target for law enforcement). It doesn't pass through Apple's servers at all - so even if law enforcement started tapping every bit, it's your iOS device that simply excludes the password database when backing up. (You can back up your passwords, by doing local iTunes encrypted backup, where they're stored encrypted on your local PC).

    The alternative is to have to legally defend why you're not handing over the data, like what Microsoft did by saying the data is not inside the US. This is based on legal procedure, because the data exists, and you have it, but you're arguing there's a reason why you cannot hand it over. I find these arguments less "permanent" since there may be a case where not handing over the data might put you in the position of having to defend your position against public opinion. (Imagine trying to withhold a terrorist's account data just because he stored it outside of the country).

    Apple has long learned it's far better to simply not have the data touch its servers at all and thus be unavailable to law enforcement, than to hold onto it and to have to defend why you're not handing it over.

    It's also why Apple's privacy policies haven't really allowed them to share data within Apple. Google's privacy policy has expanded the data sharing to not just through Google, but to every Alphabet company as well. So your YouTube viewing data, once only for YouTube, can be mined by the most popular online ad networks as well.

    Finally, what can Apple do with that data? If they have it, what are they going to use it for? Apple barely has an advertising business (really meant to allow Google to buy AdMob). So what would Apple do with all that information they aren't selling?

  41. Awesome, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do you know which theme is this http://ikingrootapk.com/