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iPhone Feature Request: Copy ‘Skip Lock Screen’ feature from Google’s Pixel 4

Face Unlock on Google’s Pixel 4 is less secure than the iPhone’s Face ID, but it does have one feature I’d like to see Apple copy: Skip Lock Screen.

Copying that would be perfectly fair, as Google has recently confirmed that it will be copying at least part of Face ID’s Require Attention feature…


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Comment: In-screen Touch ID potentially signals a backward step ahead

In-screen Touch ID could be coming next year, but what of Face ID?

In-screen Touch ID could be appearing in iPhones as early as next year, according to a new report today. But while the current report suggests that both Touch ID and Face ID fans will be catered for, that may not remain the case for long.

The debate between the respective fans of Touch ID and Face ID began when Apple launched the iPhone X, the first iPhone to be launched without the fingerprint reader since it made its debut on the iPhone 5S in 2013.

With the iPhone X launch, Apple seemed pretty clear that Face ID was the future of iPhone authentication. It is, says Apple, faster, easier, and more secure than Touch ID…


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Comment: Kuo’s under-display Touch ID report is far more speculative than most

Under-display Touch ID coming to iPhone?

A new report today suggests that Apple is bringing back Touch ID to iPhones. Unlike a sketchier report last month, this one says that under-display Touch ID will not replace Face ID, but rather supplement it, with 2021 iPhones able to be unlocked using either method.

The report certainly cannot be dismissed out of hand. While analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doesn’t have a perfect track-record, he has a far better one than most. Deep dives into Apple’s supply-chain means that he often has visibility on upcoming developments…


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Face ID supplier AMS says upbeat about 2H of 2019, but factors in Android orders

Face ID supplier AMS upbeat about 2H 2019

Face ID supplier AMS, which makes optical sensor tech used in the iPhone X family of phones, says that it expects ‘a strong second half of this year.’

AMS was one of the companies to give an early clue to lower-than-expected iPhone sales in the holiday quarter, when it lowered its estimates and strongly hinted that iPhone orders were the reason …


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Latest Apple patent again references Face ID on Macs, and Touch Bar on Magic Keyboard

Patent application references Face ID on Macs and Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar

It seems a given that Apple will bring Face ID to Macs sooner rather than later, now that the tech has been extended from iPhones to iPads too. We’ve today seen the latest in a series of Apple patent applications to do just that.

But the patent also suggests the Touch Bar could be coming to Magic Keyboards


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New Face ID patent application seems likely to fix the 3D-printed mask issue

Face ID mask

A new Apple patent application suggests that the company has boosted the security of Face ID in order to defeat the attack method demonstrated in 2017, when a specially-designed 3D-printed mask was able to unlock an iPhone X.

The attack was a sophisticated one, meaning that ordinary users didn’t have much to fear, but the security researchers did suggest that high-profile targets – like company CEOs – might want to avoid using Face ID …


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Apple suppliers continue to report weak revenues as slumping iPhone sales keep on hurting

Two Apple suppliers this morning, Lumentum and AMS, are reporting weak revenues ailed by weakening global smartphone sales, particularly hurt by the slowdown within China. The latter of the two, AMS, struggled on an earnings call predicated with a guidance revision, seeing a 58% decline in quarterly profits YoY alongside a dividend suspension.


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Feature Request: After WhatsApp, I’d like to see Face ID as an option for other apps

Face ID apps

A WhatsApp update yesterday added the option of using Face ID to protect your chats, and that’s an option I think could be usefully added to other apps – including some of Apple’s own.

One could question the value. After all, locking your phone protects all your apps, so why bother offering app-by-app protection too … ?


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WhatsApp updated with ability to lock app behind Face ID or Touch ID

Popular Facebook-owned chat service WhatsApp has updated its iOS app today with support for biometric authentication, allowing users to ‘lock’ the app with Face ID or Touch ID. Although the feature does not work on a per chat basis, enabling the feature does add an extra layer of security to your private WhatsApp conversations.


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Poll: Should Apple use a ‘reverse notch’ to add Face ID to MacBooks?

Face ID MacBook approach

It can only be a matter of time before Apple adds Face ID to MacBooks, but the question is: what approach should the company take?

Apple has applied two different solutions to iPhones and iPads. For iPhones, Apple opted for super-slim bezels and a notch to house the TrueDepth cameras and other sensors. For the iPad, the company instead chose to keep the bezels thick enough to house the module.

Should it adopt the iPad solution for MacBooks, or should it copy an approach seen in one of the latest Asus laptops … ?


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Apple takes three spots on Adweek’s 25 best ads of 2018 list

Apple’s television advertisements have earned three places on Adweek’s 25 Best Ads of 2018 annual list, which highlights the best media ads ranging from print to film. Apple’s highest spot ranking on the list, #2, was for its Spike Jonze directed-critically acclaimed ‘Welcome Home’ ad.

This isn’t the first time the company has seen massive celebration over the HomePod advert, with Adweek previously conducting a highly featured behind-the-scenes video.


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Law enforcement being told not to look at iPhone screens to avoid wasting a Face ID attempt, report says

disable face id

Earlier this month, the first known case of law enforcement requiring a suspect to unlock their phone using Face ID surfaced. Now, Motherboard reports that cops around the United States are receiving instruction to ensure they themselves do not look at an iPhone X or iPhone XS displays, as that could count as one of the ‘false’ trials, and thus disable Face ID.


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