Chinese security researcher Wish Wu was set to give a talk on hacking Face ID at the Black Hat Asia hacking conference in Singapore in March 2019, but at the request of his employer, he's canceled the talk, reports Reuters.

His presentation, called "Bypass Strong Face ID: Everyone Can Deceive Depth and IR Camera and Algorithms," supposedly offered details on a way to get past Face ID on the iPhone X "under certain conditions."

iphone x face id
Curiously, the Wu says that his hack did not work on the iPhone XS and XS Max. Given that the three smartphones use the same Face ID system, it's not entirely clear why a bypass method that works on the iPhone X wouldn't also work on Apple's newer devices.

According to an abstract of the talk, Face ID was able to be hacked on the iPhone X with an image printed on a black and white printer and some tape.

Wu was asked by his employer, Ant Financial, to withdraw from the talk. Ant Financial is known for its Alipay mobile and online payments platform, which works with Face ID.

Wu told Reuters that he agreed with the decision to withdraw his talk, saying he was only able to reproduce hacks on iPhone X under certain conditions, but that it did not work with iPhone XS and XS Max.

"In order to ensure the credibility and maturity of the research results, we decided to cancel the speech," he told Reuters in a message on Twitter.

In a statement, Ant Financial told Reuters that the research on the Face ID verification mechanism is "incomplete" and would be "misleading" if it were to be presented at Black Hat Asia. Despite this, the Black Hat conference said Wu's talk was accepted in the first place because Wu "convinced its review board he could pull off the hack."

A Face ID bypass or hacking method would be major news, as the feature uses 3D facial recognition technology to prevent it from being fooled by photographs, masks, and other means.

As Reuters points out, there have been no reports of a successful Face ID hack that others have been able to replicate since Face ID was introduced in 2017. Vietnamese company Bkav posted a few videos of Face ID being bypassed with a well-made mask, but other researchers have not been able to duplicate those results.

Face ID is not infallible, however, and has issues with facial recognition with children and identical twins.

Top Rated Comments

A MacBook lover Avatar
85 months ago
There's no mention of Android (but I agree). This just shows that Apple's Face ID is more complex than we think it is and to be indeed bypassed, there has to be serious work involved.

But since they claim it doesn't work on the newer iPhones, why bother that much? Of course the one on the X is outdated and the Xs uses more advanced algorithms, so it's more secure, in a way.
Since there are endless posts of Apple hate rushing to be the first comment, I decided to rush in with love.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A MacBook lover Avatar
85 months ago
More proof that Apple is the best and android is a joke
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
85 months ago
Article quote:

“As Reuter points out, there have been no reports of a successful Face ID hack that others have been able to replicate since Face ID was introduced in 2017. “


Someone still trying to debunk Face ID.....Next.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SSD-GUY Avatar
85 months ago
He Wish-es his claims were true.

It’s ok, I can see myself out.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Porco Avatar
85 months ago
He Wish-es his claims were true.

It’s ok, I can see myself out.
Beat me to it... I was going to go with 'Wishful thinking' ;) :D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alpi123 Avatar
85 months ago
More proof that Apple is the best and android is a joke
There's no mention of Android (but I agree). This just shows that Apple's Face ID is more complex than we think it is and to be indeed bypassed, there has to be serious work involved.

But since they claim it doesn't work on the newer iPhones, why bother that much? Of course the one on the X is outdated and the Xs uses more advanced algorithms, so it's more secure, in a way.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...