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Apple may let you unlock your iPhone by taking a selfie

There’s probably no more direct way to tell your phone who you are than by simply showing it your face. That’s what a newly patented technology developed by Apple would do.

Apple was granted the patent by the U.S. Patent Office today.

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“In the embodiment of the invention, a mobile device is configured to automatically lock based on determining that a user’s face is no longer present in the image captured by the device’s built-in camera,” the patent reads.

You wouldn’t need Touch ID or a password any more, only a quick picture of your face. If the phone didn’t recognize the your face it would lock itself.

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And it keeps snapping pictures now and then to make sure the authenticated user is still using the phone. The phone might also decide to snap a quick pic if it senses that it has been motionless for a while.

The technology might work on other Apple devices, too, like iPads or iCars.

Hat tip: Cult of Mac

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