iPhone 8's Facial Recognition Feature To Be Used For Apple Pay Payments

Earlier this week, Apple's firmware for its HomePod smart speaker confirmed some new features for the iPhone 8. However, it’s also been discovered that the iPhone 8’s facial recognition technology might be used for payments, while its dual cameras will have a feature called SmartCam.

Face ID For Apple Pay Payments?

An iOS developer has discovered references to “pearl.field-detect” and “pearl.pre-arm” on a com.apple.passbook.payment string within the HomePod firmware. Earlier leaks suggest that “pearl” is actually referring to Pearl ID, the codename for Apple’s facial recognition feature for the iPhone 8, as pointed out by MacRumors.

Past leaks also suggest that Apple’s facial recognition technology might actually be called Face ID when it’s been officially announced for the iPhone 8.

READ: What Is Apple iPhone 8's 'Home Indicator' Which May Replace Proprietary Button?​

To be clear, “pearl” is only mentioned under presentation and not authentication in the HomePod firmware string. It’s also important to point out that there’s no indication that Face ID will completely replace Face ID for authenticating Apple Pay payments.

Facial recognition technology isn’t really seen as the safest way to secure users’ Apple Pay payments. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 featured the same kind of technology and it was easily fooled by a photo. It’s very unlikely that Apple would completely replace Touch ID with Face ID for verifying Apple Pay payments. Perhaps Apple will simply make it optional for users.

Smart Cameras For The iPhone 8

Jumping into the iPhone 8’s camera capabilities, several references to “SmartCam” was also discovered in the HomePod firmware. According to iOS developer Guilherme Rambo, SmartCam appears to be a new feature for the iPhone 8’s dual cameras.

The iPhone 8 SmartCam feature will be able to fine-tune the cameras’ setting based on the scene it detects. The SmartCam code references various scenes including baby, bright stage, document, fireworks, foliage and more, according to 9To5Mac. For example, if the iPhone 8’s SmartCam feature detects the user taking a photo of a concert, it will automatically adjust the camera settings to deliver the best possible photo.

This is theoretical right now, but Apple is no stranger to using object recognition for photos. Apple currently uses this kind of technology for its Photos app. It helps users easily find photos using Search or the Memories features. Apple’s future iPhones are also expected to arrive with its own Neural Engine processor to handle these kinds of machine learning tasks.

Other Details From The HomePod Firmware

There are also references in the HomePod firmware for inductive wireless charging and a 6.5-inch Retina display. Wireless charging has been a sought after feature for the iPhone for a long time, and it looks like its finally arriving for the iPhone 8.

What’s really unclear is the reference for the 6.5-inch Retina display. Numerous leaks may have already confirmed that the iPhone 8 will feature an all-screen design, but its screen size has always been predicted to be 5.8 inches. The reference to the 6.5-inch Retina display might be for something else or it’s possible that it’s simply a mistake.

READ: Apple iPhone 8's 3D Face-Scanning Feature Revealed In HomePod's Firmware​

The iPhone 8, iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus are all expected to be announced during Apple’s special event in September. There have been numerous rumors about iPhone 8 delays, but it's going to be released on time.

According to leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer, @OnLeaks on Twitter, Apple has just started mass production for the iPhone 8. His sources actually informed him of the iPhone 8 mass production schedule back in May and that the flagship would make it in time for its launch in September.