I can unlock my phone with my fingerprint while pulling it out of my pocket, so that it's ready to use as soon as my gaze falls upon it. It takes two seconds longer with face unlock - one second to get it up to my face (and make sure it's aimed in just the right spot), and another second waiting for it to actually recognize me and unlock. Easier, faster, and, hence, more usable.

>I can unlock my phone with my fingerprint while pulling it out of my pocket

This, I can do it without thinking.

The iPhone 11 has the second generation FaceID sensors which is much faster and has lower error rates (to the point that it's not very noticeable anymore). Also, while you do "lose" the TouchID sensor, all FaceID-equipped iPhones have tap to wake and raise to wake functionality which is much more useful than being able to unlock my phone in my pocket, IMO.

Raise to wake is available on older non-FaceID phones. I think this feature was enabled by the M7 motion coprocessor chip https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_motion_coprocessors which first showed up in the iPhone 6.

Very cool, I did not know that.

> ... than being able to unlock my phone in my pocket...

I see what you did there. But that's not what OP said.

This is exactly why I bought an iPhone 8 earlier this year. The fingerprint reader combined with rest to open means my phone is ready to go before my eyes/face are anywhere near the screen. There simply is no competition (against face id) as far as speed is concerned.

This might be a dumb question, but how does Face ID work with beards and other facial hair?

As far as I understand FaceID makes a "map" of your face using a series of sensors (including IR) that is then compared against with when unlocking the phone or using a FaceID compatible login in an app. The beard/facial hair is part of that map, and the way Apple designed FaceID is to learn details that slightly change over time like a beard growing. It does (from experience) fail if the change is drastic, such as shaving a long beard or being in direct sunlight when you haven't been in a long time, but you can then enter the PIN/password and it will learn the "new map data" of your face and will work during subsequent tries. I would guess it does somehow combine old and new data when you enter a PIN and update the map, as it doesn't get tripped up if you, for example, unlock your phone in direct sunlight and then unlock in lower light shortly after, but I can't be certain.

Would giving my pin to someone with a very similar face mean that over time my phone would start to map their face as mine?

I would guess that it would only add to the model if the new face is recognized by the existing model.

Having just switched from a Pixel 3 to and iPhone 11 I’m inclined to agree that FaceID is a step backward. It has a great high tech feel, but:

1. It’s much less reliable. Especially in bed when I get paged at night I almost always have to revert to PIN auth, which is unfortunate when I’m disoriented and seconds count.

2. It’s much slower. With the placement of fingerprint sensors on Pixel phones it is totally natural to have the phone unlocked and open by the time the screen comes into view. With FaceID I don’t even start that process until then, and it’s a several step process: assuming the screen is already on (this works well) I have to look at the phone, wait a moment... then swipe up to actually unlock the phone. Facial recognition aside, the act of swiping up alone is way more work than fingerprinting into a Pixel phone.

3. The thing I like most about FaceID is checking notifications - I can simply look at the screen and Signal messages unlock, etc.

I’m convinced that most of the hate iPhone users have for fingerprint unlock relates to the placement of the sensor, and (never having used an iPhone fingerprint reader this is speculation) maybe it’s speed or reliability. The implementation on Pixel phones was really great and I’ll be sad to see it go.

> 1. It’s much less reliable. Especially in bed when I get paged at night I almost always have to revert to PIN auth, which is unfortunate when I’m disoriented and seconds count.

This is a tangent, but oncall roles where seconds count but you need to sleep during your shift are an idea as bad as it is ubiquitous.

> 1. It’s much less reliable. Especially in bed when I get paged at night I almost always have to revert to PIN auth, which is unfortunate when I’m disoriented and seconds count.

Not sure, my fingerprint sensor in Pixel 3 is unreliable during cold season (in Poland it is about 7 months) - my fingers are dry then (a side affect of allergy) and I basically have to teach it my fingerprint every week because it stops recognizing it.

And when it does it takes too much time in my opinion, so I plan to buy Pixel 4 solely because of Face Unlock (but I hope my ever changing beard won't be an issue).

Pixel 3 is my first phone with fingerprint sensor and I was really looking forward to it, but after almost a year of having it I basically hate it.

I’’ve found that I just need to move my phone several inches farther from my face for it to work properly in bed.

A major issue I run into that it doesn't work reliably with a lot of PPE headgear (welding gear, face shields, etc). At work, I'm often in a situation where I can't take off my headgear, but I do need to use the phone to take pictures or check my messages. It also is pretty flakey in the winter when I'm wearing scarves and a cap that cover almost all of my face. In both cases, I have to take my gloves off to use the phone anyhow, and so I can just unlock it with the fingerprint reader.

On my Galaxy S9, I use both the face unlock and fingerprint reader all the time. I was just thinking this morning that face unlock is proving very useful in the autumn chill, as I can actually use my phone's touchscreen with thin gloves, but don't have to take them off to use the fingerprint reader.

Relying on the front camera to replace fingerprint readers is a compromise, and it makes the phone less valuable to me for a lot of every day use cases. I'm glad some other manufacturers make phones with fewer of those kinds compromises.

Lots of people have given their opinion regarding fingerprint vs facial unlock. But for me, personally, the reason I would be loathe to give up the fingerprint sensor on my Pixel 3 is the fact that I can swipe up or down on it to pull down the notifications on the phone. Since I've got the 3XL, it's just a nice little usability thing that makes it slightly easier to use such a large phone with just one hand.

I'd miss it a lot, and it's one of the reasons I think I'll keep my 3XL for another year instead of upgrading to the Pixel 4.

> The facial unlock is less intrusive and requires the user to do less

Errr?

I just pick up my samsung phone and my finger naturally rests on the fingerprint sensor as I'm pulling it out, which instantly unlocks it in any conditions and the phone is ready to go by the time I'm looking at it.

Vs.

I have to tilt my iPhone up so it can see my face and make sure it's not blinded by the sun and then wait 500ms for it to think about whether I'm me or not.

Vs.

I get stopped at the border and they want warantless access to my iPhone. I say no. They just point it at me and unlock it.

Fingerprint ID is superior in every way.

You need to have your eyes opened and pointed at the phone in order to do that and you can easily disable FaceID in the event that were to ever happen to you by just clicking the side button.

I won't comment on the other statements as they're a matter of preference that I simply disagree with.

Face unlock is utterly insecure. Grab the phone and tell the owner "hey, what's this?". It will unlock before they remember not to look at it.

You can be forced to put your finger on the device to unlock it, but at least that has no plausible deniability. the most secure option is still a long PIN/passphrase, but that's too inconvenient.

What's your point? If someone is looking to compromise you and they have physical access to your phone, it's already over. The only situation where this matters is with law enforcement and you can click the power button to disable Face ID or Touch ID.

My point is FaceID trades security for convenience. Seems like you love it, but that doesn't change the trade off.

To temporarily disable FaceID and TouchID, you "just press and hold the side button, and either one of the volume buttons".

Good luck remembering the procedure and having the time to do that in an emergency or mugging.

You can also just tap the Power button 5 times to require your passcode. Seems pretty easy to just tap it a million times while you're handing your phone over.

Having recently 'upgraded' from my old Nexus 5 to a hand-me-down iPhone 5s, my single favourite feature is the fingerprint sensor - it makes logging in automatic - something I can do in my pocket if I wish.

The facial unlock is more intrusive specifically because of privacy concerns. If you meant "easier to use", maybe. Though I never had any difficulty in finding the fingerprint sensor on my phone, usually in blind mode as I pull it out from the pocket.

Face detection doesn't need remote access... especially with every phone having an AI chip built in.

Your phone still has a complete recognition model of your face, and we're required to trust the vendor when they say it doesn't leave your phone.

The Pixel had (*had) the fingerprint reader on the back. For me that worked perfectly ergonomically-speaking. Plus, since it's on the back, I'd have thought it wouldn't be too difficult to have both face/fingerprint.

I used to have a Sony Xperia that had the fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button on the side of the phone. IMO, that was perfect because it could be unlocked either when held in one hand or when sitting on a flat surface. I think a single smartphone manufacturer managed to patent that idea in the US so it's not more widely used.

I have a Pixel 2 and a BlackBerry Key2; I much prefer the thumb reader on the Key2's space bar.

There are a few scenarios, some more pressing than others:

1) Triggering the fingerprint sensor requires an active action, 'touch this sensor', versus Face ID (even with attention-detection enabled). This is important for law-enforcement. It is easier for law enforcement to get you to look at something that it is to compel you to unlock something.

See for instance https://www.wired.com/story/police-unlock-iphone-face-id-leg... Note that some courts have ruled that Face ID should have similar protections as Touch ID, but the issue is far from settled and is likely to end up in court in the future.

2) It's easier in mass-transit and POS scenarios to tap your phone while touching the fingerprint sensor. The flow for Face ID is much more convoluted -- bring the phone near the reader (which may be away from your face) to bring up the payment UI, then bring your phone to your face if the reader is faced away, double-click the home button...

3) During meetings, it's easy to sneak a glance at notifications (if your notifications are set to show only when authenticated) by touching your fingerprint sensor -- there's no need to bring your phone to your face and make it obvious you're checking your phone.

I don't mind Face ID, to be clear. But I always felt Touch ID was more unobtrusive.

To be fair, on your second point, some transit systems that are not paid for with contactless, like Suica in Japan, do not require biometric authentication to be used, if it is set up in a specific configuration.

>Face ID should have similar protections as Touch ID

It already does. Biometrics of any kind are not protected if the police have a warrant which is what happened in the story you linked.

> Biometrics of any kind are not protected if the police have a warrant

It is not as black-and-white as you make it out to be (which was my point -- this will likely end up in the Supreme Court at some point). Specifically, some courts disagree with your position, and hold that even with a warrant, you have a fifth-amendment right not to incriminate yourself.

See for instance https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2019/01/14/feds-...

> But in a more significant part of the ruling, Judge Westmore declared that the government did not have the right, even with a warrant, to force suspects to incriminate themselves by unlocking their devices with their biological features.

The issue is, of course, in the meantime, it's far easier for law enforcement to execute a fait accompli and get a suspect to look at their phone to unlock it.

The fingerprint sensor did more than just unlock. I frequently used it to pull down the notifications view. It made one-handed usage of today's giant phones so much easier.

> interface securely...with the phone.

That remains to be seen. I've seen several implementations of face unlock that can be unlocked with a video playing on a phone.

Not the implementation on the iPhone or Pixel.

Try unlocking your phone when it is flat on the table.

While I keep reading of the ease of fingerprint compromise, I too would have liked leaving the sensor, unless Google simply said it was not securable - my finger naturally falls on the sensor in the Pixel 2 design. However, I'm sure it'll take all of 5 minutes to get used to the face unlock.

Because it's easier to just put your finger on a sensor to unlock it.

Yep, plus works in the dark, works when you're not able to look at the phone, generally works faster than facial unlock.

"plus works in the dark"

the iphone has no problems in the dark

Fingerprint also works with a mask on. Think cold places and big polluted cities. Almost everyone wears a mask in Shanghai if they can.

Face unlock works with gloves on, think winter :) Oh, and it works when your hands a slightly wet, or when they are very dry.

Some of the higher quality face unlock uses a dot matrix of IR projected onto the face. Should be visible in dark. Might be hard in areas that are bright in the IR spectrum though.

That is arguable. Stop saying that as if it's an objective fact.

My fingers are already on the phone when I'm unlocking it.

It's not usable for some people because of those privacy concerns.

Fingerprint sensors work in the dark. Facial unlock doesn't.

Edit: looks like I'm probably wrong on this one

I've been able to unlock my iPhone 11 in nearly complete darkness.

Infrared does not work like that

Facial Unlock does work in the dark because it uses IR, and not just a camera.

As long as it's a proper implementation of a face unlock. When the iPhone X came out, OnePlus was quick to jump on the bandwagon and start advertising their new face unlock, which was completely reliant on the front-facing camera.

Which tells you it can be tricked with just the IR picture.

Mind explaining what an IR picture is?

Facial Unlocking isn't just using image recognition. Face ID, specifically, using point mapping across a face, creating a 3D map of the face and reference points to unlock the device. I don't think a flat 2D image, even with IR photography, could trick a system like this.

A Hollywood grade prop mask of someone's face might be able to trick it, but that seems like a huge outlier.

Even a hollywood mask wouldn't trick it unless it had some way to simulate the temperatures across the face. IR determines the points and the relative temperature to make sure the face is live.

I mean that it is not including features from the visible spectrum when making its decision, only IR & time of flight (depth). IR makes it easy to track the eyes (basically all eye tracking systems use IR) but misses skin tone cues.

A prop mask is one approach, but adversarial machine learning techniques might be even more effective, especially if you can study the adaption to a particular face.

This is not true

Yes, it does.