Apple is disputing claims that it ordered manufacturers to lower the accuracy of its face-recognition to make the iPhone X easier to make.
The new was first reported by Bloomberg the news in a piece describing production and shipment issues concerning Apple's 10th anniversary phone.
An anonymous source familiar with the project reportedly told the publication Apple relaxed some of the specifications for Face ID to boost the number of usable dot projectors needed to identify a user and accelerate production so that it would take less time to test completed modules.
Bloomberg said it's unclear how much the specs will reduce the technology's efficacy but said even if downgraded, the Face ID would l probably still be far more accurate than Touch ID. Apple denies the claims.
“Bloomberg's claim that it reduced the accuracy spec for Face ID is completely false and we expect Face ID to be the new gold standard for facial authentication,” Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told the publication. “The quality and accuracy of Face ID haven't changed; it continues to be one in a million probability of a random person unlocking your iPhone with Face ID.”
It should be noted that Apple's careful wording when referring to the “accuracy” of the sensor could be technically correct as it could remain the same even if the quality in parts used was reduced.
