We first reported on an Apple patent for Face ID on Macs back in 2017, before we knew what Apple would call the feature when it debuted in the iPhone X. That patent has today been granted.
The patent is for a more intelligent version of Face ID than is currently used on iPhones…
The granted patent could use the Mac’s camera to do two things. First, it would avoid timing-out into sleep mode when there’s someone in front of the machine.
The second function is written in rather dense patenteze:
Occasionally, however, a device may enter the power saving features/modes while a user is still using the device. For example, the power saving features may be entered because the user failed to provide input within the time period set for the timer while reading content on the device, viewing a movie, or listening to music. Additionally, recovery from the power saving feature/mode may take time, may even require the user to enter credentials, and generally may be a nuisance to the user.
My reading of that and the accompanying illustrations is that the Mac can automatically wake and log you in, even if it is in sleep mode when you approach it.
Although Apple uses the generic term ‘computing device,’ which could apply equally to an iPhone or iPad, the patent is illustrated with a drawing of a computer — and the functionality described fits well with Power Nap.
Power Nap allows current Macs to perform certain background tasks while sleeping. The idea is that by doing things like updating your calendar, photos, notes, and so on, even when the Mac is in sleep mode, it will be ready for you to get to work as soon as you wake it.
This patent would appear to extend Power Nap’s capabilities to using the camera to look out for someone approaching the Mac. If it detects a person, it then powers-up face-recognition functionality to see if it recognizes them as the owner of the Mac. If it does, it could fully wake and unlock the Mac.
With Face ID now supported on both iPhone and iPad, it seems a no-brainer that it will come soon to the Mac too. Whether this advanced functionality will be supported is impossible to tell: as we always note, Apple patents many things it never does. But this would certainly be a cool feature that could wow people at a Mac keynote, so I’d say there’s a decent chance that this one will make the cut.
A separate patent referencing Face ID on Macs also illustrated the Touch Bar on an external keyboard.
Concept image: Viktor Kádár
