Leaked HomePod firmware suggests Apple Pay may use Facial Recognition

Developers are continuing to dig through the leaked HomePod firmware, discovering new insights into features that may be implemented on the upcoming premium “iPhone 8” that Apple is rumoured to be working on. The latest discovery by iOS developer @r_idn suggests that Apple may in fact be preparing to leverage the facial recognition features that are expected to be included in the new flagship iPhone to work with Apple Pay, supplementing or possibly even replacing Touch ID as the authentication method.
We first saw rumours that Apple could be phasing out Touch ID in favour of facial recognition back in February, which gained steam last month when well-connected KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that the virtual home button wouldn’t support fingerprint recognition and suggested that Apple would do away with Touch ID on the new model in favour of facial recognition. However, analysts from Barron’s weighed in suggesting that Apple’s struggle to incorporate Touch ID into the new iPhone could leave Apple Pay out in the cold on that device as facial recognition may be too restrictive and would not be considered “an acceptable verification method for Apple Pay” by the financial industry. [via MacRumors]