iPhone 8 Facial Recognition Feature: Apple Patent Details Advanced Biometric Technology

An Apple patent application that was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday is shedding light on the facial recognition feature of the upcoming iPhone 8. The technology is going to be one of the authentication features of the iOS 11-running smartphone, so it's high time that consumers get to know more about how this thing works prior the official launch of the handset this fall. Patent application 20170199997, titled "Embedded Authentication Systems in an Electronic Device," explains an invention that's designed to restrict user access to certain resources of a device unless the user is able to authenticate his or her identity. The verification process involves the use of one or more sensors that detect biometric information of the user without asking the user to do anything such as touching a sensor with a finger. The document then details that some embodiments of the invention allow the authentication system to detect a visual or temporal pattern of inputs.