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why can my sister unlock my phone with face recognition? (we’re not identical in any way)

My sister is 3 years older than me. She has blue eyes, I have brown. She has brown hair, I have blonde. Her face is slim and narrow, mine is round. How in the world does my facial recognition on my iPhone X think that she is me? They call it a ‘revolution in recognition’ - but when Face ID allows you to unlock, authenticate and pay for things with it, this is a concern!! Not that I don’t trust my sister, but that’s besides the point! Any thoughts or handy hints? Surely this goes against the privacy agreement or something.

Posted on Jan 22, 2018 9:15 PM

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Posted on Jan 22, 2018 10:40 PM

How often has your sister used your phone? When she attempts to open the phone the first time, did you open it for her, or did she look at the phone and then enter the passcode? If she was looking at the Face ID and you provided her with the passcode, then the Face ID has learned a compilation of your face and hers through the use of the passcode. With Face ID activated, you should not allow others to open your phone with the passcode while looking at the screen. You need to reset Face ID and then activate it again with your face. Then if someone else wishes to use your device, you need to unlock it and hand it to them, and not let them look at the phone and unlock it with the passcode. That is how Face ID learns changes to your face as well.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 22, 2018 10:40 PM in response to allywilsoon

How often has your sister used your phone? When she attempts to open the phone the first time, did you open it for her, or did she look at the phone and then enter the passcode? If she was looking at the Face ID and you provided her with the passcode, then the Face ID has learned a compilation of your face and hers through the use of the passcode. With Face ID activated, you should not allow others to open your phone with the passcode while looking at the screen. You need to reset Face ID and then activate it again with your face. Then if someone else wishes to use your device, you need to unlock it and hand it to them, and not let them look at the phone and unlock it with the passcode. That is how Face ID learns changes to your face as well.

why can my sister unlock my phone with face recognition? (we’re not identical in any way)

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