Face ID on the latest iPhone X is Apple’s latest breakthrough in facial recognition. It was proven earlier that it can be unlocked easily by an identical twin. Now it looks like there’s another easy scenario and parents might want to take note before getting an iPhone X.
A video of a mom and her 10-year-old kid had surfaced online demonstrating how easy it is for a kid to unlock their parents iPhone X. In the video, the mom first showed that Face ID was configured to her face and then she passed the device to her son. Without much effort, the kid manages to unlock his mom’s phone with a simple glance. And that’s it, easy access to the iPhone X with no fancy mask required. Unlike Touch ID where you can register multiple fingerprints, Face ID is only programmable with one face per device.
It is interesting to point out that such scenarios are expected by Apple. According to their Face ID Security Guide, the probability of Face ID would be different when it comes to twins, siblings and young children that look like you.
The probability that a random person 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). For additional protection, Face ID allows only five unsuccessful match attempts before a passcode is required to obtain access to your iPhone.
The probability of a false match is different for twins and siblings that look like you as well as 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.
So for the scenario above, using a passcode and TouchID would be the better option.
