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Family dynamics

15th Nov 2017

Ten-year-old shows how easily iPhone X’s Face ID can be tricked

Maybe don't leave your new phone lying around.

Anna O'Rourke

If you’re thinking of buying the iPhone X, we’re guessing that its Face ID technology is one of the features that intrigues you most.

The latest iPhone has a facial recognition system that allows users to unlock their phone with their face, as well as authorise purchases in the App Store and iTunes and validate Apple Pay payments.

Face ID is therefore a pretty important feature and one you’ll want to be foolproof.

The iPhone X uses dual cameras to detect depth (meaning a photo of someone’s face likely can’t be used to unlock their phone) – but if you think that means your new phone is safe from your kids, think again.

Of all the things Apple took into account while creating its facial recognition technology, family resemblance must not have been one.

A video of a ten-year-old boy from Staten Island in New York beating Face ID and unlocking his mum’s new iPhone X has gone viral.

It took Ammar Malik just seconds to get into the phone.

His parents Attaullah Malik and Sana Sherwin admitted that this was concerning.

“It was funny at first,” Attaullah Malik told Wired.

“But it wasn’t really funny afterward. My wife and I text all the time and there might be something we don’t want him to see.

“Now my wife has to delete her texts when there’s something she doesn’t want Ammar to look at.”

On further attempts, Anwar was able to unlock Sana’s phone over and over. He tried to unlock his dad Attaullah’s phone but was only able to do so once.

Apple hasn’t commented on the video.