Face ID on the Apple iPhone X can support only one face per device, says report

Ever since the iPhone X was launched at the Steve Jobs Theatre few days ago, the Touch ID has been retired on the flagship phone. In its place, in a bid to increase its privacy and security feature, Apple’s Face ID or face recognition technology has set the ball rolling on the security front.[caption id="attachment_4045777" align="alignleft" width="380"]

iPhone X comes with a Face ID feature.[/caption]But lo and behold!According to TechCrunch, the Face ID recognition feature would store the face data of only one user per device. Unlike Touch ID which can store five fingerprints for five fingers or of the user’s loved ones, this one can store only for one.In this feature, the Flood illuminator, an invisible torch light, shines on the user's face, illuminating it in a light spectrum that only an IR camera can see. The Dot projector paints the face with something like tiny lasers. These “dots”, 30,000 of which are projected on the user's face, are picked up by the IR camera and the data is used to create a 3D depth map of the face.Now, since the phone can store only a single face image, the user will have to set an alphanumeric password for people other than the user to operate the phone.This limitation can clearly make sharing the device a hassle. Even though it is not known whether this may come to other devices like an iPad, the one face feature may become problematic for users who like to share their Apple devices.If the Face ID really does work as intended, according to a previous report, it could be a game changer. If it doesn’t, it’s going to end up like Samsung’s fidgety Iris scanner. Given that this is Apple we’re talking about, we’re inclined to believe that Face ID will work, eventually.Pre-orders for iPhone X with Face ID start globally on 27 October. Devices will start shipping from 3 November. In the US, the device’ pricing starts at $999, in India, it starts at Rs 89,000.