iPhone 8 To Feature Iris Scanner And Face Recognition To Replace Touch ID

Pin lock and Touch ID are now things of the past. For the iPhone 8, iris scanner and face recognition will be the trademark security of the future.

iPhone 8 has yet to receive an official release date but speculations and leaks about the upcoming anniversary iPhone are already aplenty, thanks to industry sources and analysts. We have previously reported that the iPhone 8 will feature a powerful A11 chip, wireless charging of up to 15 ft (that’s pretty convenient!), and a rumored Mini Touch Bar a la 2016 MacBook Pro.

But today, we found new sources that reveal that iPhone 8 will be launching with more security features that will revolutionize smartphone security.

When the Touch ID debuted with the iPhone 5S, it was one of the most convenient things in the world. With fingerprint authentication, you can easily unlock your iPhone and authorize payments, while staying secure and protected. But as the years went by, more and more people became concerned about the security of the Touch ID, as Usability Geek reports there are myriad ways to hack the Touch ID feature, and a number of limitations when it comes to authorizing multiple users for the device.

In fact, the Touch ID could be entirely extinct since there have been reports that strongly suggest the iPhone 8 will release with a wraparound OLED screen, eliminating the home button altogether.

With these limitations and threats surrounding the Touch ID, how can the iPhone 8 up its security ante? Mac Rumors reports that there are sources and patents that suggest the iPhone 8 will be releasing with an iris scanner or a facial recognition software as its added security measures.

Taiwanese website DigiTimes, citing unnamed “industry sources,” reports that in addition to various iPhone 8 leaks, the upcoming 10th anniversary iPhone will also feature an iris scanner.

“In addition to an OLED screen, the iPhone 8 will come with wireless charging and iris scanning technology, industry sources disclosed. Makers in the supply chain are generally optimistic about the popularity of the device, the sources said.”

This iris scanning technology rumors started in August 2016 through a Chinese-language MoneyDJ report cited by Mac Rumors. In fact, during this time, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 already included the said feature in its device.

Taiwan-based company Xintec, an affiliate of Apple manufacturer TSMC, was said to be the provider of the iris scanning technology chips.

“Xintec is expected to enter mass production for iris-recognition chips in 2017, which will boost the backend house’s revenues for the year, the report cited market watchers as saying. New orders for iris-recognition sensors include those for the chips that will be embedded in the 2017 series of iPhone.”

Another key detail that leads credence to this upcoming iris scanning technology is the trademark filing uncovered by Brian Conroy back in 2016, before the iPhone 7 released, named Iris Engine. The trademark application for Iris Engine was found beside already released Apple products as iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, AirPods, and AirPod Case.

In relation to iris scanning, noted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, also believes that the iPhone 8 will also incorporate facial recognition as part of its new biometric identification technology.

This speculation comes as a response to the firms and patents that Apple has acquired through the years, such as real-time motion capture firm Faceshift in 2015, Tech Crunch reports, which works on face recognition technology in gaming and chat (a more advanced version of Snapchat) and “biometrics for unlocking devices or authorizing payments through facial recognition techniques.”

While plenty of software already makes use of iris scanning and facial recognition in home and office security and PC and laptop technology, this will be the first in smartphone technology if the iPhone 8 decides to make iris scanning and facial recognition a key feature in its design.

While unconfirmed, Inquisitr previously reported that many expect a September 2017 release date, as per usual, for the Apple iPhone 8.

[Featured Image by Alexey Andr Tkachenko/Shutterstock]