iPhone 8 Specs, Features News: HomePod Firmware Suggests Facial Recognition Works as ID for Apple Pay
Developers have recently discovered that within the HomePod's firmware, there were clues that implied the iPhone 8's facial recognition feature will likely work with Apple Pay identification.
Recently, Apple released the firmware codes for its HomePod. Since the upcoming wireless speaker works with iOS 11 software, it also contained several codes that provided developers a ton of clues on what to expect from the unreleased premium smartphone from Apple, commonly dubbed as the iPhone 8.
The released HomePod firmware is like a gold mine for many developers. As expected, the firmware codes has already led to many discoveries on what to expect from the iPhone 8, with the most recent being the use of facial recognition on Apple Pay.
Several iOS developers and enthusiasts were debating whether the facial recognition will be applied to Apple's digital payment system. While some believe it is unlikely, developer Daniel Niyazov shared his own findings that prove otherwise.
Replying to other developers, Niyazov shared a screenshot of his own discovery that showed the codes "pearl," "face-detect," and "apple.passbook.payment" mingled together in a single line. According to Apple Insider, the code "pearl" could be an internal code for the upcoming facial recognition feature from Apple.
Meanwhile, the codes found by Niyazov is also not indicative that facial recognition will be the sole biometrics to be used on Apple Pay. Apple has also yet to reveal what their plans are for the Touch ID now that the physical home button is believed to be gone from the iPhone 8.
On the other hand, developer Guilherme Rambo has also found strings of codes that repeatedly mentioned "SmartCam." Many now believe that this is going to be one of the new camera features in the iPhone 8. "It will tune camera settings based on the scene it detects," Rambo suspected.
A few days ago, Rambo also uncovered an illustration of the so-called iPhone 8 within the HomePod firmware codes. It corresponds to earlier leaks and speculations that the upcoming premium smartphone will sport a bezel-less display.
