Face ID is the newest lock and key feature from Apple. It’s available only on the iPhone X and users are already loving it over Touch ID. It’s exceptionally accurate and Apple’s baked in an attention awareness feature that makes it all the more impressive. Here’s how you can set up Face ID on iPhone X.
Set Up Face ID
Open the Settings app and tap Face ID & Passcode. Tap ‘Set Up Face ID’. Face ID can recognize you in low or bright light however when you’re setting it up, it’s a good idea to sit in a well-lit room. When you see the face frame, tap the ‘Get Started’ button.
Position your head, not just your face, inside the camera view finder and wait for it to detect your face. Once it does, you will see a circular frame appear. Make sure your entire head is visible and start moving it so that the camera can capture you from every angle. Give it a good left and right pose, and give it all your best selfie angles. The white bars along the edge of the frame will turn green to show how much of your face it has captured.
When all lines along one side e.g. the left have turned green, it means the camera has captured the left side of your face. This is the first scan. The second scan is a more precise one. Tap the ‘Continue’ button.
Again, let the camera scan your face from all angles. This second scan will take longer. Once you’re done, you will see the ‘Face ID is now set up’ screen. Tap ‘Done’, and you’re good to go. If you’re having trouble unlocking your iPhone X with it, you can train Face ID to be more accurate.
Attention Aware Feature
People have security concerns about Face ID. For example, someone might pick up your phone, point it at your face while you’re sitting at your desk, and unlock it. This is a reasonable concern but Apple already has a solution in the form of Attention Awareness. If you enable it, and you should, it will only unlock your phone using Face ID if it detects that you’re actually paying attention to it. A side or cursory glance will not unlock the phone. It does this by analyzing your facial expressions which is pretty impressive. In addition to limiting when your iPhone X is unlocked with Face ID, it can also limit how long your phone remains unlocked. If it detects that you’re no longer attentive to your unlocked device i.e. you unlocked it and set it aside, it will lock the device again.
