There are good chances that the iPhone 6 may include a facial recognition feature. On Tuesday, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was awarded a patent called “Personal computing device control using face detection and recognition” by the US Patent and Trademark Office, says a report from AppleInsider. There are good possibilities that the Cupertino-based firm could use the new technology in iPhone 6.
Apple may use the technology in iPhone 6 and other devices
With the help of this new technology, the upcoming devices from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), including the iPhone 6, would unlock themselves based on facial recognition. The face of a user will be the password of the device, thus no one except the user would be able to receive calls and perform tasks.
The device would scan the face of a user on the basis of its texture, color, size and shape. The phone can capture one or more faces by running the process again.
During an incoming call, the phone would recognize the face of a user, and if it matches with the details the call will go through. However, the screen will be in lock mode if the phone fails to recognize the face, says the report citing an example. The same process will be followed during incoming e-mails.
It is expected that Apple will port this technology in iPhone 6 along with other devices such as TVs, PDAs and personal computers. For example, the screensaver of a PC will react to a user’s face rather than to a preset period of inactivity.
More details on the patent
In the patent document, it is mentioned that the face detection and recognition are two different processes. While detecting the phone just locates a face within an image, recognition is a step further and includes matching of the face with the person who is trying to open the phone.
The patent acquired by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) can be divided into three separate parts: a face detection decision application, a face recognition application, and an input/output control application, according to AppleInsider. All three systems work in co-ordination to detect whether a user is authorized to operate a given device.
Other players using similar tech
Although Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has acquired the patent, just patenting the idea does not ensure that the technology will materialize. However, Apple has taken the leap in the password segment after launching the Touch ID fingerprint sensor for iPhone 5S.
Devices like Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Kinect and Sony’s PlayStation already use a facial recognition feature. Also, there are some Android apps that provide facial recognition passwords for phones.
