Apple just received a patent that covers building Face ID into a MacBook. The facial-recognition system is not a feature of any Mac … yet. But the new patent serves as evidence that Apple is still at least considering the idea of replacing Touch ID with Face ID in its notebook line.
How to join the awesome password-free future and use passkeys
Managing passwords is and always has been a giant pain. It isn’t the best system, but it’s the system we’ve got. Well, not if Apple can do anything about it. Passkeys are a new system that automatically signs you in to online services using your phone’s Face ID (or Touch ID) or your computer’s password. It’s one less thing to remember; it works without fiddling around with a password manager.
Passkeys aren’t an Apple-exclusive feature. You can bet the technology will be supported no matter what devices you have because all of these companies are part of the FIDO Alliance that created the system … eventually.
Apple fully supports it in iOS 16 and Safari 16 for Mac, as does Google’s Chrome browser on multiple platforms. Android 9 and above supports passkeys via Credential Manager, and Google just this week added passkey support to user accounts on “all major platforms.” (Microsoft won’t add it to Windows until later this year. Until every platform supports passkeys, you can still use your passwords to sign in.)
Follow along as I show you how passkeys work.
iPhone 16 could shrink the Dynamic Island with under-display Face ID
The Face ID sensors reportedly will be hidden from users in next year’s iPhone 16 Pro. That would free up space for more screen area.
If true, under-display Face ID might mean that the days of the Dynamic Island are numbered, even though the feature only recently debuted in the iPhone 14 Pro.
Apple, Google and Microsoft expand support for passwordless sign‑ins
Apple, Google and Microsoft committed themselves to expand support for a passwordless sign-in standard. The goal is to make it easier for websites and applications to offer consistent, secure and easy passwordless sign-ins.
It’s a move toward greater support for biometric security systems like the ones already included in iPhone, Mac and iPad.
iPhone 16 could finally nullify notch with under-display camera and Face ID
As rumors fly about the upcoming iPhone 14 series, a top analyst is doubling down on his recent assertion that high-end iPhones in 2024 — likely iPhone 16 Pro models — will feature an under-display camera along with under-display Face ID.
If Apple analyst Min-Chi Kuo’s tweet Wednesday turns out to be accurate, the new under-display tech would most likely finally nullify any need for a notch and possibly the pinhole-and-pill design expected in iPhone 14.
Apple can now repair Face ID on iPhone X without replacing the device
Apple Store technicians and Authorized Service Providers can now repair Face ID issues on iPhone X without replacing the entire handset.
Apple last month began performing Face ID repairs on newer iPhone models, but iPhone X was excluded from the list of supported devices. A leaked internal memo reveals that the 2017 flagship has now been included.
Apple just can’t give up the iPhone notch
The good news is that Apple will bring in-display Face ID to the iPhone, finally eliminating the distinctive “notch” at the top of the touchscreen. The bad news is that it’s reportedly not happening as soon as possible.
This means we’re still years away from an iPhone with a truly edge-to-edge display.
iPhone might never get in-screen Touch ID
An in-screen fingerprint scanner won’t be part of any iPhone for at least three years, according to a trusted analyst. That raises the strong possibility that Touch ID will never again be part of Apple’s flagship smartphones — despite occasional rumors to the contrary.
Apple may have abandoned the idea after a recent improvement to Face ID.
iPhone 15 Pro could hide Face ID sensors beneath its screen
iPhone 15 Pro, which is expected to make its debut in 2023, could be Apple’s first handset with Face ID sensors hidden beneath its screen. This would reduce the amount of display space the front-facing sensors require.
A new report claims Apple will use technology currently being developed by Samsung to make the upgrade possible. In the meantime, Cupertino is gearing up to replace iPhone’s notch with a number of smaller, more subtle cutouts.
How to set up Face ID with a mask (and glasses) in iOS 15.4
New in iOS 15.4, released today, Apple is extending Face ID to authenticate your face while wearing a mask. In my testing, it has increased the reliability and the number of situations in which Face ID works.
This feature is arriving late into the pandemic — it would have been great to have this for the past couple of years — but as new COVID variants surge, we may still need it for the foreseeable future. Plus, in some countries, wearing a mask when you’re sick has been standard for many years.
Here’s how to set up Face ID with a mask on your iPhone.
iOS 15.4 offers iPhone users Face ID with a mask
iOS 15.4 debuted on Monday, allowing users to unlock their iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask. It also includes other new features.
And Apple released macOS Monterey 12.3, too. Plus, watchOS 8.5 and tvOS 15.4 went to the public as well.
Apple now fixes Face ID faults without replacing your entire iPhone
A Face ID fail isn’t going to get you a new iPhone anymore. Apple has begun distributing the components that its own in-store technicians and authorized service providers need to fix Face ID faults without replacing an entire device.
The cost of the repair depends on the service provider, location, and iPhone model, according to one report. And it is only available for iPhone XS or later, with iPhone X — the first to ship with Face ID — left out in the cold.
Apple’s AR/VR headset is about to get real [The CultCast]
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple code once again refers to a mysterious “realityOS” for a virtual/augmented-reality headset. Vague rumors about the new device, which we’ve been hearing for years now, look set to become very real, very soon.
Also on The CultCast:
- Why no Face ID on Macs?
- Apple’s workaround for accepting third-party payments is a joke, but developers definitely aren’t laughing.
- iPhones are about to become cash registers!
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.
Apple considered Face ID for M1 iMac, but it’s not ready for MacBook yet
Apple considered bringing Face ID to the M1 iMac, which would have been an ideal candidate for the facial recognition technology, according to a new report.
It’s not clear why the company didn’t follow through with the move. It is believed Face ID could appear in a future Apple desktop. But one source, who has been reliable in the past, says the technology isn’t yet ready for a MacBook.
Incoming: New features in iOS 15.4, new gear at Apple’s March event [The CultCast]
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 15.4 packs a punch with some fun and useful new features. It’s still just a beta, but it will give us lots of new emoji for our critical, high-level communications when it goes live. Plus, the beta includes a convenient new way to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask — just in time for the end of the pandemic! 🤞
Also on The CultCast:
- An Apple event in March looks quite likely.
- Mini-LED iMac Pro might be delayed.
- An Apple car patent sheds light on an advanced sunroof.
- How to download Wordle, just in case The New York Times screws up the popular game.
- Donkey talk!
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below (down by the headlines and donkey links).
More on Face ID with a mask: Only on iPhone 12 and 13, Apple Pay works
Apple on Thursday rolled out its first iOS 15.4 beta adding the ability to use Face ID with a mask for the first time. Since then, tests carried out by developers have uncovered some additional (and important) tidbits.
Here’s what you need to know.
iOS 15.4 beta lets you use Face ID while wearing a mask
Face ID in iOS 15.4 will let users unlock their iPhones while wearing a mask. No Apple Watch necessary. The system will scan just the area around eyes. It comes with a warning that the change makes Face ID less secure, though.
Apple seeded the first iOS 15.4 beta to developers Thursday.
‘iPhone SE 3’ renders imagine a gorgeous design upgrade we won’t get
New renders of an “iPhone SE 3” show off a gorgeous design upgrade with an edge-to-edge display and no Home button. The device looks a lot like iPhone XR, but with the same dimensions as the current iPhone SE.
These images are said to be based on leaked CAD drawings, but before you get too excited, they’re probably not accurate. At least not for iPhone SE 3.
iPhone 14 won’t include in-screen Touch ID
Apple won’t build the Touch ID fingerprint recognition system into the 2022 iPhone, according to a very reliable tipster. That’s bad news for those who aren’t fans of Face ID, or who just want a second option.
There haven’t been any specific reports that the iPhone 14 will include Touch ID, but Apple is supposedly working on an in-screen version.
iPhone 14 Pro could pack pill-shaped camera cutout, hidden Face ID sensors
Apple’s bid to do away with the notch could lead to a pill-shaped camera cutout in its display, as well as hidden Face ID sensors, according to a tipster.
Recent rumors suggested that iPhone 14 will be the first to feature a “punch hole” camera cutout in its screen rather than current models’ notch. And though we initially assumed that would be circular — like those on Android devices — that may not be the case.
iOS 15.2 paves the way for DIY display replacements on iPhone 13
Apple’s newest iOS 15.2 beta paves the way for DIY screen replacements on iPhone 13. Earlier versions of the firmware inexplicably disabled Face ID when a display was replaced by anyone other than Apple. But that’s no longer the case.
The change came just a day before Apple revealed its new Self Service Program, which will offer customers the parts and tools they need to carry out hardware fixes themselves — if they feel competent enough to do so.
Apple promises iPhone 13 screen repairs will stop mucking up Face ID
Apple is reportedly walking back a policy that might have put many small phone repair shops out of business. It promised to stop disabling Face ID on iPhone 13 units that have had their screen replaced by anyone other than Apple-authorized techs.
The change will come in the form of a software update.
No Face ID in MacBook Pro is a missed opportunity
Saying the 2021 MacBook Pro’s screen notch is controversial is putting it mildly. But Apple could have made it easier to bear. Building in Face ID would have better justified the display cutout — and also made the newest macOS notebooks easier to use.
Apple execs recently revealed why the MacBook Pro utilizes Touch ID instead of Face ID. And the reason is not convincing. The facial-recognition system is a better fit for MacBook than it is for any other Apple product — including ones it’s already built into.
Control freak Apple makes iPhone 13 the ‘strongest case yet for right to repair’
The teardown experts at iFixit have confirmed that unauthorized display replacements break Face ID on iPhone 13. They also warn that Apple’s rather unscrupulous move has “huge implications for the professional repair industry.”
The only way around the change is to employ incredibly complicated micro soldering practices to transfer the display chip from the original screen over to the new one. It is “the strongest case yet for right to repair laws,” iFixit says.
iPhone 14: Under-display Face ID still a work in progress, may be delayed
It’s probably best not to get too excited for under-display Face ID in next year’s iPhone 14. Despite Wednesday’s big leak hinting at the upgrade for 2022, one analyst warns the technology is still very much a work in progress.
In recent years, manufacturers have been working to put front-facing cameras behind their smartphone displays in an effort to eliminate notches and holes. And the results, perhaps unsurprisingly, have been a mixed bag.