Locking iPhone with a mask, CNN experimented with new features

New York (CNN Business) I was standing in front of a subway station in New York City, where many people come and go.Just like a celebrity trying to avoid the eye, she covered her face with sunglasses, puts a baseball cap, and wearing a black KN95 mask.

Nevertheless, my iPhone immediately recognized me as a right owner.I didn't have to show my face.When I swiped the screen, I was able to unlock immediately using the face authentication function "Face ID".

For the past two years, many iPhone users, including me, have lost the convenience of being able to easily unlock with their own faces.Apple intends to respond to this issue with the latest software update.

The updated version of "IOS 15.4" aims to work with face IDs, even if the owner of IPHONE does not remove the mask in public places.The technology that can recognize the face even if the information that can be used for analysis is reduced is groundbreaking.This new feature is still in the test stage, and it may be possible to use it with "iPhone 12" and later smartphones within a few weeks or several months (considering that there are a number of states in the United States that cancel masking masks., This timing may be somewhat ironic).

I downloaded the test version of the update and experimented with face IDs with a variety of design masks.I tried a black K95 mask, a mask with a beard, and even the mask on the face of the main character Kevin of the movie "Home Alone".As a result, when I tried it for the first time in many masks, the face ID worked well, but the general results were different.Face recognition failed to enter the passcode in many cases.

When I first tried wearing sunglasses and hats, I succeeded in unlocking, but after repeating it, it did not work.According to Apple later, this software update aims to work with face recognition even when wearing glasses, but it will work well if you can collect as much information as you can identify users with face IDs.Sometimes.However, it is designed to be able to handle hats.If both were combined, the probability of success was about half.

It was impressive that the new features were so impressive, but the fact that the results were varyed in the size of the difficulties that Tech companies such as Apple had to confront a part of the face covered with a part of the face.。Face recognition is also used in smartphones other than Apple.

Face recognition software generally works by collecting images that measure various characteristics of the face with another image.Apple's face ID matches the image of the saved owner's face and the image obtained when trying to unlock.By wearing masks, many companies, including Apple, have been focusing on the development of functions that can identify users in the parts of the face, especially in the eyes.

Apple explains that the user may not be easier to identify when the face can be seen, as it can be seen with the face ID when the mask is worn, so that the user may not be easier and may need to enter the passcode. is doing.