Here’s How Apple’s Commitment to Face ID is Affecting the Mobile Biometrics Industry

Apple confirmed longstanding speculation last week with its unveiling of its three new iPhone models for 2018. Like last year’s iPhone X, all of the new devices have abandoned Apple’s pioneering Touch ID fingerprint authentication system in favor of Face ID, an infrared, 3D facial recognition system. Face ID is now the sole means of biometric authentication on Apple’s iPhones, and it looks like the company will stick with this system for the foreseeable future.

So, if last year’s iPhone X had a big impact on the mobile biometrics industry, what do the iPhone Xs, Xs Max, and XR portend? To a degree, they just signal more of the same. Here’s why:

Major players in the industry started pursuing their own 3D facial recognition technology in response to the iPhone X, and Apple’s latest devices can only reinforce that trend:

Cost-Effective 3D Facial Recognition Coming to Android Thanks to Trilateral Partnership

Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition Features 3D Facial Recognition and In-Display Fingerprint Sensor

The same goes for face scanning software, which has become more popular since last fall and is still enjoying a rising profile:

Report Predicts Rise of Face Scanning Mobile Software, and Fall of Fingerprint Sensors

IDEMIA 3D Face Delivers Sophisticated Biometrics to Mobile Devices

FaceTec Attains 100% Anti-Spoofing Score in iBeta Level 1 PAD Certification Test

And Apple’s rivals are still looking at another new biometric technology – in-display fingerprint scanning – as a means of differentiating themselves from the competition, even when their devices also feature Face Unlock systems:

Supplier Says Samsung’s S10 Will Feature In-Display Fingerprint Scanning

OnePlus to Feature In-Display Fingerprint Sensor in Next Smartphone

New OPPO Smartphone’s In-Display Sensor Supported by Precise Biometrics Software

Vivo Brings In-Display Fingerprint Tech to ‘V’ Line of Smartphones

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(Originally posted on Mobile ID World)