Apple’s HomeView Tries Face Authentication Without FaceID

Apple’s HomeView will use face and voice recognition to identify people in a room and access their iCloud data, without relying on Face ID. The change lets the device switch between users quickly and run the AI processing it needs, but broadens the ways Apple handles biometric information and may create new security risks.

Instead of Face ID’s Secure Enclave, HomeView uses a memory-protected area in recent Apple processors called the Secure Exclave. Apple says it has formally verified the Exclave’s microkernel and uses it to protect camera and microphone indicator lights; HomeView also checks that a person’s iPhone or iPad is on the same Wi-Fi network and was recently unlocked. Its recognition may be more vulnerable to reconstructed 3D depth-map or voiceprint attacks than Face ID, while guest and personalised modes offer ways to limit access to personal data.