Apple’s Vision Pro headset uses iris scanning for login with Optic ID

Apple is introducing Optic ID, its latest biometric security authentication technology and the first from the company to be based on details of your iris. Optic ID will be used to unlock Apple’s new Vision Pro mixed reality headset that was introduced today at the WWDC 2023 event.

According to Apple, Optic ID works by analyzing a user’s iris through LED light exposure and then comparing it with an enrolled Optic ID stored on the device’s Secure Enclave. During the WWDC keynote, Mike Rockwell, Apple’s VP of technology development group, said that the system can detect iris differences even with identical twins.

Apple’s existing biometric authentication systems include Touch ID, a fingerprint sensor, and Face ID, which authenticates your face using projected infrared dots and a depth sensor. Both of these systems were introduced on the iPhone, but Optic ID, Apple’s third overall biometric system, is being introduced on the Vision Pro. Optic ID will be used for everything from unlocking the Vision Pro to using Apple Pay in your Headspace.

As with every Apple security feature, the company is stating Optic ID “never leaves your device,” and the information is fully encrypted. We won’t have an idea of ​​how accurate and fast Optic ID will be compared to Face ID until we get the Vision Pro fully working. One of the most widely released consumer tech devices with an eye scanner in 2017 was the Samsung Galaxy S8 — but hopefully Apple has made some advances since then that aren’t as easily defeated by hackers.