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Biometrics on mobile phones are more advanced than ever these days, with many smartphones kitted out with Face ID and fingerprint recognition as standard. Why? Well for starters it’s a good deal safer and more secure than passwords and passcodes. Your fingerprints (and of course your face!) are unique to you, and can’t be hacked or duplicated. Thanks to the incredible advances in AI (artificial intelligence) technology, Samsung phones, iPhones, and a variety of other smartphones are smarter than ever. They can recognise your facial features using your selfie camera, or detect your fingerprint using the screen or a fingerprint recognition sensor mounted on the side or back of your handset, to unlock your mobile phone.
Fingerprint and face recognition phones keep your device super-secure and unlockable should you be unlucky enough to lose your handset, or if you’ve had it stolen. That way all your personal details, photos, apps and everything else remains safely locked away from prying eyes, giving you real peace of mind.
6.5-inch HD+ Display
Triple 13 MP / 2 MP / 2 MP rear cameras
5 MP selfie camera
32 GB internal storage
4230 mAh battery
6.7-inch AMOLED display
108 MP quad camera telemacro lens
IP53 dust and water resistance
Fast charging 5020 mAh battery
iOS 15
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display
Dual 12 MP rear cameras
12 MP selfie camera
Apple A15 Bionic chip
6.4-inch FHD+ OLED display
50 MP Octa PD Quad Bayer wide camera
Google Tensor processor
IP68 dust and water resistance
4524 mAh battery
If you need to set up Face ID on your mobile phone, it can vary depending on what kind of handset you’re using. When you set up Face ID on iPhone for example, it can be a slightly different experience to setting up an Android phone with Face ID. The same goes for phones with a fingerprint phone lock. The good news is that it’s a relatively simple process on all devices, and you’ll be able to set up Face ID and fingerprint recognition by following a step-by-step process that your phone will guide you through. However, no matter which mobile phone you have, you should always first ensure that your device is up to date with the latest software.
iPhone Face ID and iPhone Touch ID make accessing your phone easier and faster than ever, but they also keep it more secure too. Thanks to some nifty biometric software, you can unlock your iPhone with a simple glance at your selfie camera, or by placing your finger on the fingerprint phone sensor.
On a Face ID iPhone, such as the Apple iPhone 13, the security authentication for Face ID is enabled by the TrueDepth camera system, which uses the lens of your selfie camera to see and accurately map the contours and shapes of your face. The Touch ID system on your iPhone is able to read your fingerprint from virtually any angle, and is designed so that it continues to map your fingerprint over time. It’s also relatively easy to set up Face ID on iPhone when you first switch on your new device.
It’s worth remembering that even with iPhone Face ID or iPhone Touch ID, you’ll still need to have a passcode or password set up on your device. That’s because there are times when a fingerprint phone lock or mobile phone facial recognition on their own won’t do, such as when five or more unsuccessful attempts have been made to unlock the phone using Face ID, or if you’re making changes to the security settings.
There are plenty of Android phones with Face ID and fingerprint technology to unlock the device and keep it safe should it fall into the wrong hands. Face ID Android phones include devices from Samsung, OPPO, Xiaomi and Google, which have facial and fingerprint technology that can be easily set up as you use your new phone for the first time. At Carphone Warehouse, we pair you up with an Android phone with fingerprint unlock and Face ID, so that you can compare devices and find one that’s the combination of the best Face ID phone and best fingerprint phone for you, your needs and your budget.
Before buying a mobile phone, it’s wise to consider just how secure it is. If you’ve never used facial recognition technology before, you might wonder how secure is Face ID, exactly? Well, when Apple launched the iPhone X in 2017, they claimed that there was only a 1 in 1,000,000 chance that a random person could unlock your phone using their face. If you’re wondering how secure Touch ID is, the typical fingerprint lock for phones had a 1 in 50,000 error rate. In both cases, that’s pretty secure.
It’s easy to set up Face ID on your mobile phone. When you set up your phone for the first time, the operating system will take you through a number of steps to help you get your device working just the way you want it. One stage of the process will focus on security, and face ID. You’ll be asked to look into the lens of your selfie camera a number of times and from a number of angles while your phone scans your face. When the phone is satisfied that it has all the visual information it needs, it will let you know, and your Face ID setup will be complete.
Face ID works to keep your phone secure by using your face as the key to unlocking it. Face recognition phones work in a number of different ways depending on which device you have, but essentially most smartphones scan your face via your selfie camera, and looks for recognisable features that are unique to you. Apple’s TrueDepth camera works by projecting thousands of tiny dots onto your face that are invisible to the human eye, which then help it to create a 3D image of your features. Other smartphone security set-ups focus more on the iris of your eyes.
If you use iPhone Face ID and you’re worried about removing your mask in public settings to use the face recognition on your phone, you’ll be pleased to know that you can set up Face ID with a mask on. So long as you have an iPhone 12 or a later model, and you’re running the iOS 15.4 operating system or later, you’ll be able to set up Face ID with a mask from your settings app. In fact, Face ID security is now so good that many phones will recognise you on Face ID with sunglasses!
The first device to use face recognition on phone as a security feature was Apple’s iPhone X, in 2017. So, if your phone came out before that then no, it won’t be one of the face recognition phones. However, if your smartphone was released after 2017, there’s a good chance it might have face recognition phone unlock as a feature. If you’re unsure, the best thing to do is to go into your security settings and check there. If you have face recognition to unlock your phone but haven’t activated it yet, your device will take you through the set-up procedure step-by-step.
If you’re looking for a super-secure smartphone that you can rely on, we’ve got a whole host of options available to you. From Android phones with facial recognition, to iPhones with Face ID security and Touch ID, and cheap phones with fingerprint technology, you’ll find something to suit your needs. Check out our great range of security-enhanced smartphones today.
*Each year your chosen network will increase your contract charges as follows:
Vodafone: Each April, the Vodafone monthly price shown plus all out of bundle charges will increase by the Consumer Price Index rate published in January of that year plus an additional 3.9%.
iD Mobile: The iD Mobile monthly cost will be adjusted each April by the Consumer Price Index rate (CPI) published in February by the Office for National Statistics, plus an additional fixed 3.9%.
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