Apple Patent Takes Facial Unlocking Feature To A New Level

Facial recognition is not exactly a new technology for many of us, It has been there since a while, especially for the Android users. Unfortunately, until now, iOS users have not been able to enjoy this feature (except for the jail-break hacks for iOS devices), but, today Apple has been awarded a new patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Offices, which would enable it with facial unlocking feature.

The fresh patent would enable iPhone and iPad users to unlock their smartphone and tablet by just taking a selfie, instead of using a passcode or Fingerprint sensor. Apple has more to offer with this new patent, the new feature will automatically lock the device when the face is not recognized by the software, which sounds more like Samsung’s eye-tracking feature in the Galaxy S3.

So how will it work? The facial unlocking feature would click few photos of the user from time to time, in order to keep track of user’s engagement with the device. It will automatically lock the device if the user’s face is not present in one of the photos. The patent also points out that the image capture process could also be activated by detecting the period of time when the device has been left unused for a long period of time.

The US Patent with the number #008994499 outlines the locking process as “A mobile device is configured to automatically lock based on determine that a user’s face is no longer present in the images captured by the device’s built-in camera,” it states.

Apple’s patent also specifies that how the entire process can be automated, which involves not pressing any buttons. The patent comes up as a vivid take on technology, and it won’t come as a surprise if Apple employs this technology in forthcoming iOS versions and devices.

Zara Ali
Categories: Apple, Gadgets
Tags: iPhone, patents