Google Developing More Secure Face ID-Style Facial Recognition System for Android Devices

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Google appears to be working on a facial recognition system that would offer similar security to Face ID, based on code for the next-generation version of Android that was highlighted by XDA Developers.

Code in Android Q, set to be shown off at Google's developer conference in May, points towards an advanced facial recognition system that would be secure enough to be used for authorizing purchases and signing into apps, in addition to unlocking a smartphone.


Furthermore, the code references a built-in hardware based sensor through error messages that are highlighted when the sensor is unable to properly detect a face.

Combined, these two factors suggest that Google is expecting future smartphones to feature an advanced facial recognition system that could perhaps be as secure as Face ID.

Android Q code referencing a secure face unlock system. Click to enlarge.
Right now, there are Android devices that are using 2D facial recognition techniques to replace a passcode, but none of those systems are based on 3D face scans like Face ID. Facial recognition used by Android right now is more rudimentary and easily fooled, which is why Android devices continue to use fingerprint sensors for operations that need more security like payments.

The Android Q code indicates Google is building a native secure facial recognition option into the next version of Android, which would allow smartphone manufacturers to create systems that rival Face ID.

Android Q code referencing a secure face unlock system. Click to enlarge.
Face ID was first introduced in 2017 in the iPhone X, and has since expanded to the iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, and the 2018 iPad Pro models. At the time Face ID was introduced, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested the sophistication of the 3D camera system Apple uses would be unable to be matched by Android smartphone makers for 2.5 years.

One and a half years later, there are still no Android smartphone manufacturers that have created a front-facing camera system similar to the TrueDepth camera system able to be used for all secure system functions like payments.

Google's work on adding secure facial recognition code to Android does, however, suggest that Android devices with Face ID-like systems are in the works and coming soon.

Tags: Android, Face ID

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Apple Pay Promo Offers 20% Discount on Fanatics Purchases

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Apple today sent out its latest Apple Pay promo, which is offering Apple Pay users a 20 percent discount on a purchase of $25 or more from the Fanatics app or the Fanatics website in celebration of the upcoming Super Bowl.

Fanatics is a site that offers up team-themed gear for sports fans. The site has partnerships with the NFL, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, NBA, and more.


To get the 20 percent discount, customers will need to make a purchase of $25 or more in the Fanatics app or the Fanatics website using Apple Pay, and the code "APPLEPAY" will need to be used at checkout.

The discount will be available until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 3, and certain brands and merchandise will be excluded.

Apple's email also references other game day-themed apps, including DoorDash, Gametime, and Little Caesars.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

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iMac Last Updated 602 Days Ago, Longest Span Ever Between Updates

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As noted in the MacRumors Buyer's Guide and discussed in the MacRumors forums, it has now been 602 days since Apple last updated its iMac lineup, a new record for the longest span between iMac refreshes ever. The previous record was 601 days between October 2015 and June 2017 refreshes.


In fairness, the iMac Pro was released in December 2017, but standard 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models have not been updated in over a year and a half. Since the original iMac launched in 1998, the computer has typically been updated at least once per year, with the sole exceptions being 2016 and 2018.

The iMac is not alone. The 12-inch MacBook and Mac Pro have also set record-long spans of 602 days and 1,866 days and counting respectively since their last refreshes. Apple has at least promised to release an all-new Mac Pro with a "modular" design at some point in 2019, but has yet to share additional details.

As for the iMac and MacBook, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was likely to debut refreshed models at its October 2018 event, but only the MacBook Air and Mac mini were updated. Kuo expects both the iMac and MacBook lines to receive faster processors, and the iMac to receive "significant" display improvements.

Apple has hosted a March event in three out of the past four years, so perhaps we'll see new iMacs and MacBooks at a March 2019 event. Other items on the agenda could include new iPad and iPad mini models, a new iPod touch, new AirPods, and the long-awaited AirPower mat if production rumors were true.

Related Roundup: iMac

Buyer's Guide: iMac (Don't Buy)

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Using AirPods on Chromebooks Is Pretty Fantastic With This Single Trick

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Apple Shares New 'Full Circle' Experimental Video Shot on 32 iPhone XRs

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Apple today shared a new experimental Shot on iPhone XR video that features footage captured using 32 iPhone XR devices mounted on a bullet time rig.

The video depicts various materials, including fire, colored water, dry ice bubbles, and colored slime, in a rotating rig that provides a 360 degree view.


The video is accompanied by a behind the scenes look at how it was made, complete with a demonstration of the crazy camera rig that Apple constructed.


The video, in addition to using a custom iPhone XR camera rig with multiple devices, also uses specific iPhone camera techniques like slo-mo, which can capture slow motion video at 240 frames per second.

Related Roundup: iPhone XR

Buyer's Guide: iPhone XR (Buy Now)

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Samsung Set to Buy Camera Company That Sued Apple for Patent Infringement

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Samsung is close to completing a deal that will see it purchasing Israeli smartphone camera company Corephotonics for $150 million, reports Israeli news site Globes (via Android Authority).

The Corephotonics name may sound familiar to those who follow iPhone news because in 2017, Corephotonics levied a lawsuit against Apple accusing the Cupertino company of infringing on several Corephotonics camera patents with the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus.


The patents in question relate to dual-lens camera technologies such as optical zoom and mini telephoto lens assembly techniques. The iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 8 Plus both use a dual-lens camera setup with 2x optical zoom and a wide-angle lens paired with a telephoto lens.

Dual-lens camera technology was first introduced with the iPhone 7 Plus in 2016 and it has subsequently been used in the iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max. Corephotonics' original lawsuit covered just the 7 Plus and 8 Plus, but in 2018, the company filed a new patent infringement lawsuit that also covers the iPhone X.

According to Corephotonics, Apple's iPhones with dual-lens cameras use patented telephoto lens designs, optical zoom techniques, and a method for fusing images from the wide-angle and telephoto lenses to create a better quality photograph.

When the lawsuit was filed, Corephotonics said that it contacted Apple, but after "positive feedback" and "encouraging reports," the two companies were unable to reach a licensing agreement. Corephotonics accused Apple of releasing the iPhone 7 Plus anyway, complete with infringing technology.

The legal matter between Corephotonics and Apple has yet to be resolved, so Samsung could inherit the dispute should it move forward with the Corephotonics purchase. Apple and Samsung in June 2018 reached a settlement for a design infringement lawsuit that spanned seven years.

Corephotonics developed the 5x optical zoom camera demonstrated by in an Oppo smartphone prototype in 2017, and it has detailed work [PDF] on a triple-lens camera setup that could allow for 5x optical zoom and a 25x total zoom feature that lets in 5x more light than traditional setups. Should Samsung purchase Corephotonics, these technologies could make their way to future Samsung devices.

Tags: Samsung, Patent lawsuits

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AirBuddy Extends iOS-Like AirPods Integration to Mac

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Well-known developer and 9to5Mac contributor Guilherme Rambo has released a new macOS utility named AirBuddy that extends iOS-like AirPods integration to the Mac. We were provided a copy of the utility to try out in advance.


AirBuddy comes with a helper tool that allows you to enable the utility for AirPods and other headphones equipped with the Apple W1 chip, such as BeatsX, Beats Solo3, and Powerbeats3. The helper tool also lets you choose where the floating AirPods status window appears on the desktop: left, center, or right.

Then, when you open the AirPods case near your Mac, the status window automatically appears with the battery life of the AirPods and case, just like on an iPhone. The window also has a one-click shortcut to connect the AirPods.


In our brief testing, AirBuddy worked quite seamlessly, although the status window did not always open. Rambo says the app relies on several factors to determine whether to show the status window, including the distance of the AirPods to your Mac, whether the AirPods are currently in use by another device, and so forth.

It is also possible to add AirBuddy as a Notification Center widget on Mac that displays the battery life of not only the AirPods and case, but your Mac and any trusted, Wi-Fi-connected iPhones, iPads, or other nearby devices.


AirBuddy requires a Mac with Bluetooth LE and macOS Mojave. The app is available via Gumroad for any payment of $5 or more.

Related Roundup: AirPods 2

Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Caution)

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