Instead of storing an image, Face ID saves a mathematical value created from the characteristics of your features. It’s impossible for anyone else to recreate your likeness from this.

Face ID is a biometric authentication of your iPhone, which makes it an extremely safe way of protecting your privacy and data. In fact, the probability that another person can unlock it is just one in a million. Face ID works by projecting more than 30,000 infrared dots onto your features to form a topographical representation and a 2D infrared image. These are then converted into a mathematical reference value that’s stored in a secure area on your iPhone. Each time you use Face ID, your face gets converted into a unique mathematical value and this is checked against the stored reference value on your iPhone. If both are identical, the iPhone unlocks. And just as your fingerprint can’t be recreated from Touch ID data, it’s also impossible to recreate your facial map from Face ID data.

Learn more about how Face ID protects your privacy