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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
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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.

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India to Offer $4-$5 Bln in Incentives for Electronics Production, Weaning Off China

A social media influencer uses a phone on the day of the unveiling of Hyundai IONIQ 9, a three-row electric SUV during a Hyundai event in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, California, US, November 20, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
A social media influencer uses a phone on the day of the unveiling of Hyundai IONIQ 9, a three-row electric SUV during a Hyundai event in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, California, US, November 20, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
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India to Offer $4-$5 Bln in Incentives for Electronics Production, Weaning Off China

A social media influencer uses a phone on the day of the unveiling of Hyundai IONIQ 9, a three-row electric SUV during a Hyundai event in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, California, US, November 20, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
A social media influencer uses a phone on the day of the unveiling of Hyundai IONIQ 9, a three-row electric SUV during a Hyundai event in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, California, US, November 20, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole

India will offer up to $5 billion in incentives to companies to make components locally for gadgets from mobiles to laptops, two government officials said, in a bid to bolster the burgeoning industry and wean off supplies from China.
India's electronic production has more than doubled in the last six years to $115 billion in 2024, led by growth in mobile manufacturing by global firms such as Apple and Samsung. It is now the world's fourth-largest smart phone supplier.
But the sector faces criticism for its heavy reliance on imported components from countries such as China.
"The new scheme will incentivize production of key components like printed circuit boards that will improve domestic value addition and deepen local supply chains for a range of electronics," one of the two officials said.
The incentives are likely to be offered under a new scheme expected to be launched in two to three months, said the officials, who asked not to be identified as details of the scheme are not yet public.
The scheme is likely to offer incentives totaling between $4-$5 billion to global or local firms which qualify, Reuters reported.
The plan, designed by the India's electronics ministry, has identified components eligible for incentives and is in its final stages.
The finance ministry will approve the scheme's final allocation soon, the first official added, with the sources expecting it to be launched in the next 2-3 months.
India's electronics ministry and finance ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
India is aiming to expand its electronics manufacturing to $500 billion by the fiscal year 2030, including production of components worth $150 billion, according to the government's top policy think tank Niti Aayog.
India imported electronics, telecoms gear, and electrical products worth $89.8 billion in the fiscal year 2024, with more than half sourced from China and Hong Kong, according to an analysis by private think tank GTRI.
"This scheme is coming at a time when it is critical to promote component manufacturing that will help us aim for a global-scale of electronics production," Pankaj Mohindroo, head of India's Cellular and Electronics Association, said.