Apple says Face ID demo fail was feature actually working as it was designed

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Credit goes to Apple for running on stage demos with live devices and software, even if some of these features are still in beta or pre-release. In the case of the hotly debated Face ID, which now replaces Touch ID on the iPhone X, what seemed like demo fail was actually a security feature kicking in.

A demo by Apple SVP for Software Craig Federighi showing off Face ID for the first time failed to fire when the iPhone X refused to recognize his face and went straigh to the PIN code screen as a means of authentication.

Thinking quickly, a flustered Federighi quickly used a backup iPhone X which recognized him instantly and unlocked instantaneously. Federighi drove the point that the feature works well by quickly demoing it a few times. So, what happened?

A statement from Apple confirms what many had speculated. "People were handling the device for stage demo ahead of time,” says a rep, “and didn’t realize Face ID was trying to authenticate their face. After failing a number of times, because they weren’t Craig, the iPhone did what it was designed to do, which was to require his passcode.” In other words, “Face ID worked as it was designed to.”

This makes sense as even when Touch ID fails to authenticate multiple times, it requires a second PIN or passcode to reset the process. I expect Touch ID is going to be under scrutiny. Earlier attempts at face recognition sucked on phones and notebooks and Apple has it tied not just to phone access but also to mobile and online payments. We'll know how good it is once we get to check it out in the wild.

Source: 9to5mac