Apple Macs could get FaceID support: Report

According to 9to5Mac, FaceID could be making its way to Macs. 9to5Mac found a new extension on macOS Big Sur beta 3 “with codes intended to support “PearlCamera”.” For those that don't know, PearlCamera was the codename used for the TrueDepth camera and Face ID which was first seen on the iPhone X back in 2017. 

According to 9to5Mac, “Codes such as “FaceDetect” and “BioCapture” found within this extension confirms that Apple is preparing macOS to operate with Face ID, as these codes are similar to those used by iOS. We investigated and this Face ID extension was clearly built for macOS, and it’s not some remnant code from Catalyst technology.”

FaceID works via a True Depth camera so it isn’t clear when this implementation with the Mac will be announced. It is safe to say that since dedicated hardware is required for FaceID, it won't be a feature compatible with existing Macs. 

Apple Macs could get FaceID support

Apple is confirmed to be shifting to ARM chips for their future Macs and it is possible that we may see FaceID make an appearance on them. It will be nice to see iMacs with FaceID to help with faster log-in as the iMac is the only Mac that does not have Apple’s ToucID. How the FaceID hardware will affect the aesthetics of the Mac is yet to be seen. A log of competing laptops like the Dell XPS family and more are implementing Windows Hello in their laptops while maintaining slim bezels all around. So it will be interesting to see if Apple redesigns their laptops with FaceID. This also brings the question about whether the MacBook Pro and Air will retain ToucID when FaceID launches. 

Devices like the iPad Pro and iPhone’s after the iPhone X (not counting the 2020 SE) ditched TouchID in favour of FaceID only. Whether the Macs follow suit, remains to be seen. Another way in which FaceID could benefit the Mac is with log-ins. If a family has one iMac as a primary computer, then FaceID could be used to quickly log-into one’s profile.