I can confirm reports that HomePod’s firmware reveals the existence of upcoming iPhone’s infra-red face unlock in BiometricKit and elsewhere pic.twitter.com/yLsgCx7OTZ
— Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) July 31, 2017
Apple's 'BiometricKit' May Go Beyond Fingerprints
[caption id="attachment_142692" align="aligncenter" width="1592"] Apple may introduce 'BiometricKit' for developers.[/caption] Thanks to some leaked firmware and clever developers, we’re getting a good look at features and specs for the newest iPhone. As expected, a near bezel-less design is on its way, as well as facial recognition for unlocking the device via something called ‘BiometricKit.’ The new spatter of information comes to us via HomePod, Apple’s still unreleased Siri-powered home hub. First noticed by developer Steve Troughton-Smith, the leaked firmware provides a few interesting tidbits. First, HomePod is listed as an iPhone SE in the iTunes store; curious because it has an A8 SoC, while the iPhone SE proper has an A9. But, the HomePod does run a full iOS client, so that may be the reason for the designation, at least this early on. HomePod also prefixes apps with ‘Air.’ This is likely a move to ensure only certain apps are available to HomePod, and harkens back to the company’s AirPlay 2 announcement at WWDC. An image buried within the firmware also gives us our first solid look at the next iPhone, which we’re calling the ‘Pro.’ (We should point out that nobody knows what Apple may call this fourth iPhone model, but ‘Pro’ fits its existing device naming scheme.) A slim bezel encompasses the screen, which is only interrupted by a sliver up top which we assume will house the speaker, camera and new sensors. Those sensors will be used for facial recognition, another feature confirmed with these leaks. Troughton-Smith asserts – and it sounds entirely plausible – that Apple will introduce ‘BiometricKit’ with iOS 11 and this new iPhone. His evidence? Facial detection is listed as ‘BKFaceDetect,’ where the ‘BK’ is ‘BiometricKit.’