Why I Hope iPhone 8 Includes Facial Recognition

Rumors suggest Apple is having trouble getting Touch ID to work underneath a glass screen and instead might use facial recognition on iPhone 8.

I hope this is true; I consider it to be the easiest and best way to authenticate a person on mobile. Samsung has it on the new Samsung S8, and it's much easier to use than the awkward fingerprint reader on the back.

I have recently been using the newest version of Windows 10's Hello feature, which gives a person the option of using face-scanning technology to open their PCs. While I have entered a numerical code as a backup for access, I authorized it to scan my face as the primary means of entry for the three Windows laptops I use. Access is seamless and does not slow down the workflow process at all.

That's the real objective; make the process so easy that a person hardly even knows they are on a protected device. While using a thumbprint or password is not a big obstacle when accessing a secure device, it still adds at least one or two steps to the sign-in process.

Over time, many PC vendors, especially Lenovo, have added fingerprint scanners/readers. However, their uptake or use has been sluggish; even today, less then 30 percent of people even use them for secure access and defer to passwords or numerical codes instead.

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But I see facial recognition or iris scanning as the next really big technology that will see mass adoption. Should Apple add it to the newest iPhones, adoption rate across all devices will accelerate.

Interest in eye and face scanning for secure login is on the rise from many big companies. EyeVerify, which last year was acquired by Alibaba's payments arm, Ant Financial, for a reported $100 million, suggests that eye authentication is now of real interest to telcos and banks. But retailers like Walmart are also intrigued by the technology's potential. Is Apple next? We'll have to wait until next month, when the company is expected to unveil its next-gen iPhones.

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