- 4 hours ago
- AirPods
- Alban Martin
-
5
Apple is exploring methods to authenticate users equipped with AirPods, as shown in a patent application recently published with the USPTO and spotted by our colleagues at PatentlyApple.
A patent around AirPods for privacy
In a patent application entitled “User Identification Using Headphones”, filed with theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office, Apple explains how it can authenticate AirPods users using other nearby devices, ultrasonic signals, voice recognition and even the user’s gait.
The filing aims to address the issue of AirPods’ inability to determine whether the wearer is the authorized user of a connected device. Apple suggests this may be a problem since any user can place headphones in their ear while they are connected to another person’s device, which could lead to the disclosure of personal information by the user. connected device, for example via notifications announced by Siri. But it can also be useful in the event of theft, in order to block the use of wireless headphones for example.
The system is able to circumvent the need for Face ID, Touch ID, or any other type of biometric authentication on a separate device, instead using a “similarity score” to verify a user’s identity. This figure can be based on multiple variables, such as the proximity of other nearby devices belonging to the owner of the connected device. Nevertheless, Apple indicates that biometrics could still be used to increase the accuracy of the result. To authenticate a user based on biometrics with the AirPods themselves, Apple offers to emit and receive ultrasound inside the headphones:
For example, various features of the user’s ear provide an echo of the ultrasonic signal that is unique to the user. Variations in the surface of the user’s ear canal can cause the ultrasound signal to reflect off the surface and generate an echo having a signature associated with the user. For example, a user with a larger ear canal may generate an echo with a longer reverberation time than a user with a smaller ear canal.
Apple adds that AirPods could also use information gathered about a user’s gait and voice from the AirPods’ gyroscopes, accelerometers and microphones to determine if they are the owner of the connected device. Collectively, these different data sources provide an overall similarity score that could authenticate users with interesting accuracy. The Cupertino company could call this novelty Ear ID, to follow Face ID and Touch ID.
Apple often adds new features to existing AirPods devices through firmware updates, such as Find My network support, Conversation Boost, and Spatial Audio. So it seems plausible that AirPods user authentication could theoretically be added in a future update, unless it reserves it only for the AirPods Pro 2 coming later. But as often, a patent filing does not always mean that the company will one day release this feature.