• News

Apple iPhone 8 May Use Facial Recognition While Lying Flat

People are still fishing for details on the illusive iPhone 8 feature list.

Charles Singletary Jr

August 7, 2017 6:00 PM

2

The release for Apple’s next flagship smartphone is creeping ever closer and the mystery of its potential features is still being explored. This time around, Apple Insider reports that someone has taken a shovel to the code of Apple’s Homepod and discovered language that suggests the device will able to use its facial recognition while laying on a flat surface.

A previous rumor suggested that advanced facial recognition, touted as “more secure” than fingerprint and able to authenticate within a few hundred milliseconds, would be replacing the ID fingerprint scanner feature on the iPhone. The previous report also mentioned the potential to recognize a user from a flat surface so it doesn’t have to be held up in front of the user’s face and this new find aligns with the rumor.

The facial recognition system is codenamed “Pearl” and the line of code that was found reads as “AXRestingPearlUnlock”. This line isn’t explicit confirmation, but it doesn’t seem far fetched to assume “Resting” refers to having the device in a resting, flat position. "APPS_USING_PEARL" and "PEARL_AUTOLOCK” are also found in the code and seem fairly self-explanatory.

Hopefully, in the next few months, Apple will spill all there is to know about their upcoming iPhone. The delay in updates could still be the result of rumored 3D tech being added to the phone, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Charles Singletary Jr

News Editor

Charles Singletary Jr keeps the updates flowing as the News Editor, breaking stories while investigating the biggest topics in gaming and technology. He's pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to reach out to him @The_CSJR. Got a hot tip? Email him at Charles.Singletary@Shacknews.com.