Apple Admits That Face ID May Be Fooled By Evil Twins & Little Kids

When Apple introduced the iPhone X’s new “Face ID” feature — which scans a user’s face to unlock the phone — the company said it had considered the “Evil Twin” scenario. And now, it’s admitting that if you have a twin — or an alternate reality doppelgänger– he or she could totally break into your phone.

In its Face ID Security Guide [PDF], Apple notes that the probability of a random person successfully unlocking your phone is about 1 in 1,000,000 — compared to versus 1 in 50,000 for Touch ID.

However, the likelihood of a false match is different for twins, as well as siblings who may look like you.

And in case there are any kids out there running around with the $1,000 phones, you should be warned that False ID may provide false matches for children under the age of 13, “because their distinct facial features may not have fully developed,” Apple explains.

There are two solutions. First, don’t use Face ID and just lock your overpriced iPhone X with a passcode. Or… buy a different phone that doesn’t use such a problematic unlocking mechanism.