Apple Introduces Face ID with the iPhone X

Apple introduced Face ID with the iPhone X in September 2017, replacing Touch ID on its new edge-to-edge-screen design. The system used a “TrueDepth” camera array rather than ordinary 2D face recognition.

An infrared dot projector cast thousands of points across the face, while an infrared camera measured the resulting pattern to build a depth representation. That made the system harder to fool with a flat photograph. Matching data was processed through the phone’s Secure Enclave and the biometric template was kept on the device.

Removing the Home button forced Apple to redesign navigation around gestures. Face ID therefore became part of a larger interface transition: biometric authentication, screen shape, and navigation method all changed together rather than as isolated features.