Apple Working on ‘Improved’ Security System for iPhone 8 That Replaces Touch ID With Facial Recognition

Following a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggesting the next-generation “iPhone 8” will do away with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor entirely, Bloomberg says Apple is working on an “improved” security system that will let customers unlock their iPhones and make Apple Pay payments with facial recognition technology.

Apple’s new facial recognition engine is powered by a 3D sensor rumored to be built into the front-facing camera, and according to Bloomberg’s sources, Apple is also said to be testing eye scanning to “augment the system.” Using facial recognition, the iPhone can be unlocked within a few hundred milliseconds and it allegedly works even when the device is lying on a table. It’s said to capture more data points than a fingerprint scan, making it more secure than Touch ID.

iPhone 8 dummy shared by OnLeaks and Tiger Mobiles

The sensor’s speed and accuracy are focal points of the feature. It can scan a user’s face and unlock the iPhone within a few hundred milliseconds, the person said. It is designed to work even if the device is laying flat on a table, rather than just close up to the face. The feature is still being tested and may not appear with the new device. However, the intent is for it to replace the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, according to the person. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

Samsung built a similar feature, iris scanning, into its Galaxy S8, which has not proven to be foolproof. Hackers have successfully bypassed the feature using a printed photo with a contact lens on top of it, and in a video, a launch version of the S8 was shown being fooled by a photograph alone.

Apple’s solution is said to be more secure because it is using 3D depth perception, preventing it from being bypassed by 2D pictures.

Bloomberg warns that the feature is “still being tested” and that Apple could have decided to nix it, so it continues to be unclear if the iPhone 8 will indeed do away with Touch ID entirely in favor of facial recognition.

Rumors surrounding Touch ID in the iPhone 8 have been all over the place during the course of the last few months. Apple was rumored to be having difficulty embedding the Touch ID fingerprint sensor under the display of the device and explored other solutions including a rear Touch ID button, but the company’s final solution remains up in the air. What we do know is that the most recent dummy models and part leaks show a display without a Touch ID button, suggesting it’s either under the display or non-existent.

Today’s report also includes a quick mention that Apple is testing faster displays with ProMotion technology for the iPhone 8. ProMotion display technology, which features a 120Hz refresh rate for improvements to motion and animations, was first introduced in 2017 iPad Pro models.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8
Tag: bloomberg.com
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All 2017 iPhone Models Said to Include Standard 5W USB-A Adapter, With Wireless Charger Sold Separately

Well-regarded KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this morning released a note for investors in which he made 10 predictions related to the three iPhones slated for release in 2017, including the elimination of Touch ID in the “iPhone 8.”

We’ve now gotten our hands on Kuo’s full note, and it includes several additional details that were not covered in our original post.

iPhone 8 renders from iDrop News
First and foremost, on the topic of Touch ID, Kuo’s note clearly says the iPhone 8 will not support fingerprint recognition, a prediction some MacRumors readers thought was ambiguous in the first post based on the included wording. Direct from the note:

As the OLED iPhone will not support fingerprint recognition, we think it may have to rely on facial recognition to ensure security. As such, we believe Apple (US) will be very demanding as regards the quality of 3D sensing, thereby increasing the difficulties in hardware production and software design.

Kuo’s claim has since been backed up by Bloomberg in a report suggesting Touch ID will be replaced by advanced facial recognition technology in the iPhone 8, lending more credence to Kuo’s prediction.

A second tidbit suggests the iPhone 8 and its companion devices, the “iPhone 7s” and the “iPhone 7s Plus” will all adopt glass bodies with metal frames to facilitate WPC-standard wireless charging functionality. WPC-standard refers to the Wireless Power Consortium, which supports the Qi wireless charging functionality built into many Android devices.

According to Kuo, wireless charging will be enabled through an optional accessory that will be purchased alongside the new iPhones — it won’t be a default feature available out of the box. Qi wireless charging is in line with rumors that have predicted the iPhone 8 will support inductive charging rather than a true wireless charging feature.

An example of a Qi wireless charging solution
Kuo also believes that while the iPhone 8 will include an embedded USB-C power delivery IC for higher charging efficiency, it will continue to ship with the same 5W power adapter equipped with a USB-A port that’s included with iPhones today. A USB-A to Lightning cable will also be included as a standard accessory.

That deviates from a prediction made by Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis, who last week said the iPhone 8 would come bundled with a 10W power adapter with a USB-C connector.

Kuo’s final prediction has to do with the RAM in the three new iPhone models. The first post said that the 4.7-inch iPhone 7s would include 2GB RAM while the 5.8-inch OLED iPhone 8 and 5.5-inch iPhone 7s would include 3GB RAM, but what was left out is that he also believes the DRAM transfer speed of the three new models will be faster than the iPhone 7 by 10 to 15 percent for better AR performance.

The rest of what Kuo had to say is available in the post we shared this morning, covering predictions like limited color options, 3D sensing for facial recognition, 64 and 256GB storage options, an improved speaker system, and possible supply shortages.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8
Tag: Ming-Chi Kuo
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Land Sliders is zany, but hilariously fun (REVIEW)

Overview:

Land Sliders is a fun platforming game that tasks you with guiding your character around a level to collect items and navigate obstacles and enemies in an infinite climb until you die. You can play as some interesting things, like animals and even a clothes dryer.

Developer: PrettyGreat

Cost: Free (with Ads and Microtransactions)

Impressions:

Land Sliders has a unique control scheme, having you slide the land around your character instead of navigating your character around a static plane. It is an interesting way to navigate., and allows you to more easily slide around and dodge obstacles compared to a traditional dragging your character method, I found. Gameplay is rather simplistic, you just collect all the items, and occasionally complete quests to gain more items and gold which can be used to unlock more characters. The levels are infinite, so you just have to keep going for as long as you can, until you fail and have to start over.

1 of 8

Land Sliders has a voxel-style art design, with angles and cell-shaded graphics and bright colors. The player characters are all cute and simple and there are a lot of them, over 123 at the time of writing. The enemies are cute as well, with bears and dinosaurs, as well as a myriad of other things out to get you on your rise to the top of the levels. The music is a bit repetitive for me, offering little variation and on longer runs could get to be tedious to listen to. It’s a catchy tune, however, so I wouldn’t say it’s all bad in that department.

Microtransactions and ads are present, as ever, but not too intrusive. The ads are barely there, to be honest, and only really pop up periodically after you die to offer a continue for watching a video. The microtransactions are mainly cosmetic and allow you to unlock characters faster which is fine enough. Unlocking characters organically through gameplay isn’t too much of a grind, and the game has a free gift every 30 minutes or so, generally giving you currency or characters randomly which is a nice incentive to come back. I’d definitely say that Land Sliders is a solid reasonable value for a free-to-play game.

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed playing Land Sliders, and would definitely say it’s worth a look. It has excellent replay value with a ton of characters and levels to explore, but it may be a bit light on substantial content for older folks. This is a great time for kids, to be sure, as it’s short bursts of fun and zany character choices make for a humorous experience.

Download Land Sliders on the Google Play Store

Running the first version of Windows 10? Prepare for update notifications

Why it matters to you

The initial version of Windows 10 has now reached end-of-service status, meaning that Microsoft will no longer release regular security patches.

The launch of Window 10 in July 2015 is still fresh in most PC users’ minds, but after two years and three feature updates, the operating system has already come a long way since its initial release. Now, Microsoft has reiterated that the first version of Windows 10 is at end-of-service.

Microsoft divides updates to Windows 10 into two clearly defined categories; feature updates and quality updates. Feature updates, like the upcoming Fall Creators Update, introduce brand-new functionality as well as broader security protections. The more frequent quality updates tackle emerging security concerns, like newly discovered strains of malware.

Obviously, Microsoft wants to give PC users as many reasons as possible to keep their system up to date with both the latest quality updates, and the most recent feature update. This isn’t just part of the company’s goal of bringing the whole Windows community together under one banner — it’s a matter of maintaining security.

The fact that the first version of Windows 10 is reaching end-of-service means that it will no longer receive regular quality updates, leaving computers running it vulnerable to all kinds of new attacks. Anyone that hasn’t updated beyond that point will still be able to use their PC, but they’re running a considerable risk.

To encourage users to jump to the latest feature update and regain access to new quality updates, Microsoft will implement notifications that will urge the user to address the situation, according to a blog post published last week. Windows 10 already has something of a reputation for bugging users, but it’s easy to see where Microsoft is coming from in this situation.

People don’t like change, and that’s especially true when it comes to Windows — it was only a matter of months ago that Microsoft was able to officially end support for Windows Vista. Supporting several different versions of the OS uses up a lot of resources, and that’s why the company has been so aggressive in trying to make Windows 10 the norm.

That being said, it’s easy to sympathize with users who don’t want to see major changes to their OS hit every few months. Unfortunately, continual updates are the only appropriate response to today’s heightened security concerns — there’s really no other way to battle back.

NES-themed Joy-Cons cost half as much as the Switch itself

Why it matters to you

If you want a retro-themed Nintendo Switch but don’t want to do the legwork yourself, Colorware’s rather expensive option is a possibility.

In these troubled times when Switch shortages are leading to hefty pricing for Nintendo’s current flagship console, the only real silver lining is that accessories don’t seem quite as expensive in comparison. Still, the NES-themed Joy-Con controllers from Colorware are not cheap. Putting an order in for a pair will set you back $200.

Coloware offers a number of different controllers and system skins, with a wide color palette to choose from, each offering a unique look for a system. With the Joy-Con Classic design though, Coloware has gone decidedly retro, hearkening back to the days of gaming’s past, with two controllers that look very much like the classic NES controller.

The main body of the Joy-Cons are classic NES gray, with a black backdrop for the buttons and joysticks themselves. The main buttons are of course red, and designated with little indicators alongside their diagonal layout. The D-Pad face buttons have also been given a light-gray surround to make them look much more like the D-Pad of old.

The Joy-Con Classic controllers cost $200 at the point of ordering and have all of the abilities of the standard Joy-Cons, as well as having a unique look. They also come with a Colorware warranty, which covers them for 12 months after purchase.

This isn’t the first time Colorware has launched a retro-themed controller or system. It also sells a “PlayStation 4 Pro Retro,” which features a PSX-style grey paint job and classic PlayStation Logo in its center, as well as controller indicators much like the original PlayStation console. There’s even a Dualshock 4 controller made with the classic gray styling of its predecessors. It can be purchased separately, though one does come with the retro PS4 Pro as well.

Neither are cheap, though. The Retro PS4 will set you back a whopping $900, while the retro Dualshock controller has a price tag of $120.

Of course, you don’t need to use Colorware products to make your system look retro. When it comes to the Nintendo Switch, you can change its look dramatically yourself, as many others have done. Some of the best Nintendo Switch mods have seen Joy-Cons given traditional D-Pad designs and there are plenty of others which change how it looks and operates.

Motorola’s next Moto Mod is a 360-degree camera that snaps onto your phone

Why it matters to you

Between a new 360-degree camera Mod, Motorola’s ideas for future accessories, and others set to release this summer, the selection of Mods is beginning to look quite impressive.

There is no shortage of 360-degree cameras out there. These days, however, many of the newest entries on the market are coming from smartphone manufacturers.

Last month, Android startup Essential revealed one alongside its new smartphone, the PH-1, which is set to launch sometime this summer. And Samsung, of course, has its Gear 360. Not to be outdone, Motorola now has a camera of its own.

The company announced the camera at a press event in Ghana, per a report from Techdroider. Although it might seem like something of a “me too” move, there’s one particular aspect of this camera that differentiates it from the competition: it’s a Moto Mod. That means it’s designed to work with the Moto Z family, which includes the new Moto Z2 Play, as well as the upcoming flagship Z2 that’s expected to be revealed in the near future.

New Moto 360 Camera Mod, launched earlier in Ghana. pic.twitter.com/W3Agzm6QkO

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 3, 2017

As a Moto Mod, the camera is part of a larger back shell that magnetically snaps on to the back of the phone. While that does make it rather simple to use, it also restricts compatibility to only the Moto Z line, as the E and G models do not accept Mods.

While there is certainly a lot of potential in the Moto Mods platform — as evidenced by the Transform the Smartphone Challenge from earlier in the year that saw a variety of unique and inventive pitches — the first-party Mods haven’t necessarily been released with the frequency that Moto Z owners probably had hoped for. The ability to take 360-degree video is a nice addition, but it’s still a bit of a niche feature.

Lenovo, however, says it’s on track to release “at least” 12 Moto Mods in the next year according to TechDroider, and the company showed off a couple concepts in a video at the event in Ghana. These included a Marshall-branded speaker, a DSLR camera body that accepts full-size lenses, and a strange DirecTV-branded contraption that featured an HDMI port in the back for compatibility with streaming sticks.

While those particular Mods may not necessarily see the light of day, the 360-degree camera is a full-fledged product at this point.

It’s also worth noting Moto has several exciting Mods planned for release later in the summer. There’s the new Style Shell with wireless charging and the TurboPower external battery, both of which will be available starting July 30. The company will also release a controller attachment before the fall that looks strikingly similar to a Nintendo Switch. Check out our handy guide on the best Moto Mods for more info.

Moto Mods 2017: Your phone is fun again

If you’re looking for the most-fun phones around right now – and let’s face it, smartphone hardware could stand a little fun injection – you needn’t look any further than Motorola. It was just one short year ago that the company kicked off the Moto Z line of smartphones, along with its special Moto Mods: the slap-on magnetic modules that gave them their special talents.

Our own Daniel Bader already covered how well the newest Motorola lives up to its legacy in his Moto Z2 Play Review, and I’ll follow that up with my own take shortly. For now, though, I want to talk about the first official 2017 Moto Mods: the new Style Shell, JBL SoundBoost 2, and TurboPower battery pack. While they may not pack the fun factor of a Hasselblad camera or a slap-on physical keyboard, they’re still impressive (and for now, unique) examples of modular phone accessories done right. Jump in to the MrMobile Moto Mods 2017 review, and stay tuned for much more coming later in the year!

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Grab the world’s smallest camera drone for only $25!

Drones keep getting faster and smaller, but that usually means they’re stripped of extra features, like cameras. The small size usually also means you’re paying more for the drone. What if you could have a small drone with a camera attached for under $30?

Get the world’s smaller camera drone and a 2GB microSD card for just $25! Learn more

What if that drone was actually the world’s smallest drone to have a camera mounted on it? Right now, Android Central Digital Offers has a deal on this little marvel. Instead of paying $50, you’ll instead get it at 50% off. That’s a final price of $25. Not only do you get the drone, you also get the controller, a 2GB microSD card, extra blades, and cables and adapters to charge the battery and transfer photos and videos.

This quadcopter’s four blades allow it to zip around in any direction, and the LEDs allow for night flights — no getting lost in the grass. The camera mounted on the drone can take video and still photos, and it takes less than 30 minutes to fully charge the battery.

Take your photography to new heights with this tiny $25 camera drone! Learn more

If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on a drone, why not grab one with a mounted camera and included storage? This drone is small enough that you won’t have to register it with the FAA. Ready to start flying? Grab this deal today; it won’t last forever.

Note 8, S9 and beyond: The buttonless future of Samsung phones

How do you trim down even more screen bezel? Make the softkeys entirely optional. And with its latest GS8 update, Samsung is already halfway there.

A few weeks back, Samsung started rolling out a new software update to the Galaxy S8 series in India and Europe, including a curious new option for the phones’ navigation bar. As standard, a small dot icon in the bottom left corner lets GS8 owners hide the on-screen navigation buttons for home, back and recent apps, freeing up space for whichever app is currently on-screen.

That’s not a huge deal on the surface. Other manufacturers have included similar features for years, and Android itself has had the ability to auto-hide the navigation bar in some apps going all the way back to version 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. But when you combine this new feature with Samsung’s “invisible” button setup, things become really interesting.

The technology already exists for Samsung to hide the softkeys by default in the Note 8 or S9 without any impact on usability.

You see, with the navigation bar hidden, you can still activate the home button by hard-pressing the area of the display where it would usually appear. (That’s not a new feature, by the way, but it becomes even more useful when combined with the new option to hide the navigation bar.) You can’t do the same with the “back” or “recents” keys on the GS8, because they’re not pressure-sensitive, but this limitation would be trivial to overcome in future phones, even if the whole area of the display isn’t pressure-sensitive. A hypothetical Galaxy Note 8, for instance, could simply include three pressure-sensitive areas, one for each key, giving Note owners the option of hiding the navigation bar at all times, and reserving the entire (rumored) 6.3-inch display for app content.

It would be a natural next step in the war on bezels we’ve witnessed over the past six months, freeing up more display space for the things that matter with only a minimal impact on usability.

Such a feature, which surely makes too much sense to not arrive in either the upcoming Note 8, or next year’s Galaxy S9, would be beneficial in other ways. On an OLED screen, displaying the same thing in the same place for an extended period of time is bad, because it can cause image burn-in — a ghost of, for example, the on-screen keys, might appear in the same spot when you’re watching a full-screen movie. This is a characteristic of the way OLED screens age, and is non-reversible.

Eventually, all your Android buttons will be invisible.

In fact, despite Samsung’s best efforts to gradually shift the position of the GS8’s keys ever so slightly to avoid burn-in, I’m already seeing ghosting around the rectangular shape of the notification bar itself, because that area is always black, and the rest of the screen is always brighter. That’s after just two months of use.

A completely buttonless setup would eliminate this problem, allowing the bottom area of the screen to wear more evenly.

If Samsung is successful in bringing this feature to the Note 8 or GS9, it’s likely other phone makers would follow suit, particularly as big phone bezels fall further out of fashion. Even if you’re not using OLED, the aesthetic and functional benefits remain.

It’s taken a long time for the majority of Android phone makers to ditch physical and capacitive buttons, with only a few holdouts remaining as of mid-2017. So could the next evolution take us from virtual keys to entirely invisible keys? I’d say there’s a very good chance indeed.

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How to share your photo library in Google Photos

Google Photos has a major new feature, and it makes it easier to share your whole library with someone you trust.

Google Photos is already one of the best places to upload, archive and share photos, videos and albums. But recently, at Google I/O 2017, the company announced a new feature that would allow people to share their library with someone close to them, such as a parent, partner, child or best friend.

Obvious with sharing an entire library, there are some privacy concerns, so here’s what you need to know about the new feature.

How to share your library with someone

Open Google Photos on your Android phone or tablet.
Open up the left-side “hamburger” menu.
Tap Share your library.

Select person you want to share with from the list, or type in name.

Select whether you want to share All photos or Photos of specific people.

• If you select Photos of specific people, follow the instructions to choose the ones you want.

Decide whether you want to share all photos or Only show photos since a specific day.

• If you select Only show photos since this day, choose that day.

Ensure all the details are correct and press Send invitation.
Enter your phone’s PIN, pattern or password.

After that, if the person you sent the invitation to chooses to accept it, the photos you shared will be available to them.

How to remove access to a shared library

So you gave away a bit too much of yourself and now you want to take it back. That’s pretty easy, too!

A word of warning: People you give access to have the ability to save shared images, and automatically save future shared images, to their own library, so even if you retract access to your library, they may have a local copy.

Open Google Photos on your Android phone or tablet.
Open up the left-side “hamburger” menu.
Tap on Shared with email address of the person you want to remove.
Tap on three-dot menu button at the top right.

Tap on Shared library settings.

Tap on Remove partner.
Confirm and tap on Remove.

Now that person will no longer have access to your library!

How to accept a shared library request from someone

If you’re on the receiving end of a shared library request, you can easily accept it and start scrutinizing perusing the photos in your special someone’s gallery.

Open Google Photos on your phone or tablet.

• If you received an email, open it and tap Accept invitation.

Open up the left-side “hamburger” menu.
Tap Invitation from person.
Review photos in library and tap the ones you want to save.

• If you want to save automatically, tap Start saving automatically.
• Choose All photos to automatically save future photos to your library.

That’s it! You can now go through the other person’s library and choose the photos you want to save to yours. If you enable automatic saving, you’ll be notified whenever new photos are added to the other person’s library.

Questions?

This is a new feature and there are surely kinks to work out, so if you have any questions, feel free to leave them below!