iPhone 8 Facial Recognition Will Likely Work With Apple Pay According to HomePod Firmware

Recent iPhone 8 rumors have suggested Apple may be planning to replace Touch ID with a new facial recognition system, but there's been a lot of question about how Apple Pay will work and whether Apple will indeed be able to eliminate Touch ID entirely.

We've already seen confirmation that Apple is working on facial recognition in the iPhone 8 through a recent HomePod firmware release, and now additional information found in the code confirms Apple has a mechanism for authenticating Touch ID payments with a face scan instead of through a fingerprint.

A com.apple.passbook.payment string found in the HomePod firmware by iOS developer @r_idn features two references to "pearl.field-detect" and "pearl.pre-arm" among other payment verification data. As we learned from earlier leaks, "pearl" refers to Pearl ID, the codename for Apple's facial recognition system. Apple's current implementation appears to be incomplete, as pearl is only mentioned under presentation and not authentication.

pearlpassbookpayment
While many are skeptical that Touch ID can be replaced by a facial recognition system that's equally secure, rumors have suggested Apple's facial recognition technique captures more data points than a fingerprint scan, making it more secure than Touch ID.

It's not yet clear how Apple Pay will work without a Home button and without a fingerprint, but it will presumably be able to authenticate by scanning a user's face, with a payment completed via a finger on the screen as is the case in current iPhones.

Previous HomePod firmware leaks related to the iPhone 8 have suggested Apple has not implemented an under-display Touch ID solution as was initially rumored for the device, and it's looking more and more like there's no other physical Touch ID solution built into the upcoming smartphone.

For more on the iPhone 8, make sure to check out our extensive roundup, which aggregates all of the rumors we've heard about the device so far. Lately, we've unearthed a lot of new information thanks to the HomePod firmware, including details confirming infrared facial tracking, the design of the iPhone 8, a split status bar and tap to wake, and an upcoming "SmartCamera" feature.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
maxresdefault

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options...

Top Rated Comments

ilikewhey Avatar
103 months ago
will this be a problem for people who usually wear alot of makeup? i can imagine all my exs not able to open their phone in the morning :D
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
103 months ago
Pearl ID clearly refers to our pearly whites. It will deny access to our iPhone if we haven't brushed our teeth! ADA approved.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MarkB786 Avatar
103 months ago
So if I am doing winter sports, I am going to have to take off my face protection rather than just taking off a glove? And if it's anything like Touch ID, I will have to have a face profile for day, night, winter, summer, dry, humid, shave day, non-shave day, good mood, bad mood, sunglasses, no sunglasses, etc. Oh but wait, I'm sure we'll be limited to five profiles.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joeblow7777 Avatar
103 months ago
I'd much rather stick with TouchID.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bijanc Avatar
103 months ago
They just introduced Touch ID into the MacBook line so why the hell would they be now trying to eliminate it?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
103 months ago
You guys realise it'll have both Touch ID and Face ID, right? Face ID wont replace Touch!
[LIST=1]
* Denial ('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial') <--

* Anger ('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anger')
* Bargaining ('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bargaining')
* Depression ('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depression_%28mood%29')
* Acceptance ('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance')
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)