Samsung Recognizes Your Face With Mask, iPhone Won't

People walk past a poster simulating facial recognition
 People walk past a poster simulating facial recognition software at the Security China 2018 exhibition on public safety and security in Beijing, China October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
People walk past a poster simulating facial recognition People walk past a poster simulating facial recognition software at the Security China 2018 exhibition on public safety and security in Beijing, China October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
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Samsung Recognizes Your Face With Mask, iPhone Won't

People walk past a poster simulating facial recognition
 People walk past a poster simulating facial recognition software at the Security China 2018 exhibition on public safety and security in Beijing, China October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
People walk past a poster simulating facial recognition People walk past a poster simulating facial recognition software at the Security China 2018 exhibition on public safety and security in Beijing, China October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

You're wearing a mask, as encouraged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and possibly by your local government during this coronavirus outbreak, and you want to use FaceID to open your iPhone or Android phone. Is there a way?

Yes, says a Chinese researcher from Tencent's Xuanwu lab. But according to Apple, this is frowned upon big time and could affect the integrity of your phone. There are several hacks available online, and most will send the user to reregister for FaceID on the iPhone by covering the left and right side of their face separately. After the researcher from Tencent originally demonstrated and popularized this setup, many others copied and tweaked with videos on YouTube, according to a report by The USA Today newspaper.

Apple is adamant, however, that this shouldn't work. "Face ID is designed to work with your eyes, nose and mouth visible," the company said in a statement to USA TODAY. The company discourages iPhone users from using FaceID with a mask on and instead encourages just using the six-digit passcode to unlock the phone.

Apple says that users who manipulate Face ID enrollment with face coverings are more likely to end up with iPhones or iPads that aren't as secure.

In Apple's own words, "Face ID automatically adapts to changes in your appearance, such as wearing cosmetic makeup or growing facial hair. Face ID is designed to work with hats, scarves, glasses, contact lenses and many sunglasses," but not masks.

On the other hand, Samsung's premium Galaxy phones offer both facial recognition and a fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone and encourage using the fingerprint, for more security. With Facial ID, "your phone can be unlocked by someone that looks similar to you (such as a twin)," says Samsung. That said, we were able to open a Samsung phone with a mask on. In our tests with a couple of Samsung Galaxy S10+ phones, we were able to set up an alternate look with a face mask on. The phones were able to distinguish between different masked faces, unlocking only for the face that was saved in that particular device.



Chinese Universities Launch DeepSeek Courses to Capitalize on AI Boom 

The DeepSeek smartphone app page is seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, China, on Jan. 28, 2025. (AP)
The DeepSeek smartphone app page is seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, China, on Jan. 28, 2025. (AP)
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Chinese Universities Launch DeepSeek Courses to Capitalize on AI Boom 

The DeepSeek smartphone app page is seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, China, on Jan. 28, 2025. (AP)
The DeepSeek smartphone app page is seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, China, on Jan. 28, 2025. (AP)

Universities across China have launched artificial intelligence (AI) courses this month based on Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, whose AI breakthrough has been described as a "Sputnik moment" for China and garnered widespread attention.

The move comes as Chinese authorities aim to boost scientific and technological innovation in schools and universities that can create new sources of growth for the world's second-largest economy.

DeepSeek, a Hangzhou-based startup, has been showered with praise by Silicon Valley executives and US tech company engineers alike, who say its models DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1 are on par with OpenAI and Meta's most advanced models.

Shenzhen University in southern Guangdong province said this week that it was launching an artificial intelligence course based on DeepSeek which would help students learn about key technologies and also on security, privacy, ethics and other challenges it said.

It will "explore how to find a balance between technological innovation and ethical norms."

Zhejiang University in eastern China said it began holding special DeepSeek courses in February.

Shanghai's Jiao Tong University has deployed DeepSeek to upgrade AI learning tools for its courses, it said on its official Wechat account. Renmin University of China has also put DeepSeek into application in "multiple fields, injecting new power for teaching and research, campus office," it said.

China in January issued its first national action plan to build a "strong education nation" by 2035 which it said aims to establish a "high quality education system" with accessibility and quality "among the best in the world."

Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, attended a rare meeting on Monday with President Xi Jinping and some of the biggest names in China's technology sector, such as Alibaba.