Is Israeli Tech Behind iPhone X’s New Facial Recognition Feature?

This article was first published by The Times of Israel and was re-posted with permission.

Israel’s Channel 2 reported Wednesday that Israeli technology is partially behind the facial recognition technology of Apple Inc.’s new flagship device, the iPhone X, which the Cupertino, California firm unveiled on Tuesday.

Called Face ID, facial recognition will be the main way users unlock the new iPhone, which ditches Apple’s familiar home button. The iPhone X is scheduled to start shipping in November, priced from $999.

IPhone X Facial Recognition via Pixabay

An Apple spokesman in Israel declined to comment on the Channel 2 report, which cited unnamed Apple sources, or on the use of Israeli technology in Apple’s products.

But in February, the Calcalist financial website said the US giant had acquired Israel’s Realface, a cybertechnology startup whose facial recognition technology can be used to authenticate users, for several millions of dollars.

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Set up in 2014 by Adi Eckhouse Barzilai and Aviv Mader, Realface has developed a facial recognition software that offers users a smart biometric login, aiming to make passwords redundant when accessing mobile devices or PCs.

SEE ALSO: Israeli Study Busts The Myth: iPhone Apps Are Just As Risky As Android Apps 

According to Startup Nation Central, a database for Israeli tech companies, the Tel Aviv-based firm had raised $1 million prior to the acquisition and employed up to 10 people. The company had sales in China, Israel, Europe and the US, according to the data firm.

IPhonex Facial Recognition via Pixabay

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Photos: helloolly, geralt