Table of contents:
- The Samsung Galaxy S10 and its facial recognition
- The iPhone X and 42 other devices also fail in facial recognition
- Face unlock is not secure. And now?
Facial recognition has become the standard for mobile security methods. It is a practical and simple way to unlock your mobile, also fast and… safe? The latter is debatable. It is likely to be one of the least reliable methods to protect your device, although many manufacturers opt for hardware systems, with 3D cameras or specific sensors. Next we tell you why you should not use this method to protect your mobile and some better alternatives.
We start at the beginning. Facial recognition has its why in terms of implementation. Especially in an age where the fingerprint reader works incredibly well. This is all due to the frameless displays. A trend that started a couple of years ago. Although other devices already included facial recognition, Apple was the first manufacturer to implement it in 'hardware' format with the iPhone X. This mobile came with a camera called 'True Deph' that made a 3D facial scan with different points.In this way, he could unlock our face over time, even if we have glasses, a beard, more hair or more clothes. Quickly other manufacturers such as OnePlus, Huawei, Samsung or LG brought facial recognition to their mobiles. Some with more hardware and others betting on software. Many of these terminals even had a fingerprint reader.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 and its facial recognition
Now, why isn't it the safest method? Over time, many users have shown glaring failures in face recognition. Not because he did not recognize their faces, but because he recognized precisely the face that he did not have to recognize. The last case is that of the Samsung Galaxy S10. The company's latest mobile comes with facial recognition as an unlocking method. By including a frameless panel and a camera on the screen, the sensors for the iris scanner cannot be added. Therefore, the combination of facial and iris recognition that made unlocking more secure (this function is provided by the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 ), is no longer applicable to the latest Samsung models.During the last hours different users have published videos of how the Galaxy S10 Plus can be unlocked by means of a photograph. Android Community reports that also with relatives who have similar traits.
The iPhone X and 42 other devices also fail in facial recognition
The Samsung Galaxy S10 is not alone. We already talked about the failure of the iPhone X. Apparently, a little boy managed to unlock his mother's iPhone X because they looked so much alike. Other users decided to try it out with very similar family members, and many of them managed to unlock it through facial recognition. Here is a difference. The iPhone X has a special camera for Face ID. Also, there is no other method (not to mention the unlock PIN).
Of course, there are many more models with recognition problems. On the Dutch portal, Consumentenbond, it conducted a security test on more than 100 mobiles. 42 of them managed to be unlocked through a photograph. 6 (most of the manufacturer LG), they were also unlocked with a photograph, but it took a little longer. 57 devices, in which the high-end reigned, could not unlock the photo. Among these latest models are the iPhone XS.
Face unlock is not secure. And now?
Huawei Mate 20 Pro with in-display fingerprint reader.
The truth is that there is very little chance that they will be able to unlock the terminal with a photograph of you. Or even that a family member or someone very similar unlocks your device. Still, it makes facial recognition not the safest method. Therefore, it is advisable to use other alternatives. Many of the higher-end devices already offer a fingerprint reader built into the display. It is not the fastest, but it is the safest. Others even have a physical fingerprint reader, which is much faster than those on the screen. If your terminal has no alternative and you want to keep it safe, you must use the classic PIN, pattern or unlock password.
It is very likely that in the coming years facial recognition will reach a more mature phase, with more security measures. Above all, keep in mind that many mobile devices include this method through software, and not with 3D sensors or special cameras that have depth of field. Even so, they cannot be more or less reliable for this reason.
