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Can iPhones Face ID distinguish identical twins?
Apple's face ID replaced the touch ID fingerprint scanning system which was implemented and launched in 2013 with Apple's iPhone 5S.
Identical twin brothers using their mobile devices. Picture: iStock
Apple’s face ID replaced the touch ID fingerprint scanning system which was implemented and launched in 2013 with Apple’s iPhone 5S.
The security system was put in place for many years in the iPhone 6, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, and 8 Plus generations that followed, until the Face ID security system was launched and introduced in 2017 with the iPhone X.
According to Pocket-lint, Apple’s face ID can be described as a facial recognition technology that makes use of “TrueDepth camera system”, consisting of sensors, cameras, and a projector to create a detailed 3D map of your face.
Face ID has been created to also automatically adapt to changes in your facial appearance such as eyewear, makeup, as well as growing a mustache or beard.
If there are more significant changes, however, your iPhone may not grant you access to your phone using Face ID, and it will then require for you to enter your passcode to confirm your identity, before updating your face data on the system.
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A very prominent concern and question surrounding Apple’s face ID technology has always been: can iPhones Face ID distinguish identical twins?
Back when Apple introduced the Face ID feature on the iPhone X, CNN tested the feature by experimenting with a pair of identical twins.
The Face ID was set up on an iPhone X by one of the twins, and once that was done the other twin attempted to use his face to unlock the phone, which turned out to be a successful attempt.
In a statement released by Apple in the same year, they said that it was nearly impossible for a random person to be able to unlock an iPhone that did not belong to them using Face ID, but would probably be possible for twins or siblings that look alike to unlock each other’s phone.
“The probability that a random person in the population could look at your iPhone X and unlock it using Face ID is approximately 1 in 1 000 000 (versus 1 in 50 000 for Touch ID). As additional protection, Face ID allows only five unsuccessful match attempts before a passcode is required.
“The statistical probability is different for twins and siblings that look like you and among children under the age of 13, because their distinct facial features may not have fully developed. If you’re concerned about this, we recommend using a passcode to authenticate,” said Apple in a statement.
Many tweeps who are identical twins have confirmed on Twitter that they have the ability to access their sibling’s mobile devices and personal applications such as banking apps using face ID.
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