Apple continues to consider ways to enable easy user switching and control for iOS devices using facial recognition, which may eventually lead to facial unlock features in the iPhone or iPad. A recently published patent application details an automatic user-switching system which can lock, unlock, and reconfigure a device for unique users based on face detection using a front-facing camera.

Beyond the use of a facial recognition to enable the system, however, we think the concept of multi-user iOS devices has been a long time coming. Furthermore, the same system could be easily adapted to desktop systems, making it easier to share an iMac or even a MacBook among family members or coworkers.

Apple's proposed patent, "Electronic Device Operation Adjustment Based On Face Detection," details a number of different ways to use facial recognition to control or modify the operation of a mobile device. For instance, if a particular user is recognized, their preferences can be loaded so the device works to their specific preferences. Or the screen can be rotated depending on the orientation of the face of the user to keep the screen "level" with a user's eyes. And, if a user's face isn't recognized, the device can be locked to prevent unauthorized access.

Nothing new, but still compelling

These concepts aren't entirely new, of course—Android 4.0 contains facial unlock features already, for example. And sources for the Wall Street Journal claimed earlier this year that Apple experimented with such a system as a possible feature for the original iPad. Additionally, AppleInsider has noted that Apple filed a similar patent application last year.

In addition to the above examples, we discovered a 2006 patent granted in 2010 to Toshiba that can automatically adjust "personalized device parameters" based on facial recognition. Similarly, Microsoft's Kinect can be used to automatically log in a user to its Xbox 360 console.

Facial recognition is certainly a convenient user login method, especially since a majority of iOS devices in use today have a front-facing camera. But we think that Apple should absolutely consider adding some kind of multi-user capabilities to iOS. Though iPhones are largely personal devices by their very nature, the truth is that iPads are often shared in families, classrooms, and workplaces. And I've seen plenty of parents hand an iPhone over to their kids to play a game or read something online.

When personal computers first hit the market decades ago, the original promise was that everyone would be able to own their own instead of sharing a mainframe. But costs made it impractical to have more than one computer in most households—if there were any computers at all. Computers in general, and today's tablets specifically, are far more affordable today than comparable computing devices from the '70s or '80s. Still, the reality is that not everyone can afford to have their own.

In light of this reality, OS X has a mechanism that allows more than one user to any Mac. Once a user logs in, they have their own configuration, preferences, file organization, and can even have their own fonts, applications, and more. iOS is based on OS X, so it's certainly possible for Apple to include a similar multi-user functionality in iOS. Using a traditional username and password method isn't as convenient to use for a mobile device, however, so an alternate system, such as Apple's proposed facial recognition, would be useful for making the system simple and useable.

If the device doesn't recognize the user, it could lock the device and prevent unauthorized access. Or perhaps it could automatically switch to a text-based password mode like what we currently have on the Mac, or a "guest" user mode which limits access to certain apps.

In fact, such a system could be a useful addition to the current login method in OS X as well. Imagine sitting down to your Mac, and it uses the built-in FaceTime camera to identify you, log in to your account, and is ready to go. If someone else sits down at the computer, it could either lock up or automatically switch to a limited "guest" user.

There's not enough information readily available to evaluate whether or not Apple's proposed facial recognition system is something novel enough to warrant patent protection. Nor is the existence of a patent application any guarantee that Apple (or any company) plans to use a particular technology. However, Apple has applied for more than one similar patent in this area, indicating the company's interest in making it easier to share iOS devices with more than one user.