What is Optic ID? Apple Vision Pro’s new biometric system explained

The Apple Vision Pro has added Optic ID — a new and innovative form of security system for the company's latest AR/VR headset with spatial computing. This is a step up from Face ID and Touch ID, which were previously employed on iPhones. It is much like iris scanners that have surfaced on a few Android devices in the past but didn't last because the technology is impractical for smartphones.

Apple says the new security measure is a "combination of some of the most advanced hardware and software" ever from the company. It uses near-infrared imaging to accurately verify it's you who's using the headset and safeguard all information stored on the device.

Let's review the tech and go over how Apple, a company well-known for its security and privacy measures, is handling data on its latest launch, the Vision Pro.

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How does Apple Vision Pro's Optic ID protect your data and privacy?

The Apple Vision Pro is securely designed with Optic ID technology (Image via Apple)

The new Optic ID tech uses "spatiotemporally modulated eye-safe near-infrared light" to lighten the eye. The headset then takes pictures of your iris, which is used for authentication.

Under the hood, the pictures are processed by a portion of the M2 chip's Neural Engine that is protected by the Secure Enclave. During setup, the images taken by the headset's cameras are transformed into a mathematical function, which is used for authentication in future attempts as well.

Like other iris scanners we have seen in the past, Optic ID is designed to adapt to changing lighting conditions. The pupil changes sizes with alternating lighting conditions, which may result in varying portions of the iris being visible to the Apple Vision Pro's cameras.

Optic ID is used every time you interact with the Apple Vision Pro headset. Even after the device is unlocked, the technology continues to keep track of your eyes to ensure your eye area is completely visible to the headset. This is necessary because the device relies heavily on eye controls for use.

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How secure is Optic ID?

Optic ID uses multiple security technologies to enhance privacy (Image via Apple)

The underlying technology of the Optic ID makes it fairly secure. It uses near-infrared imaging and processing with machine learning, as per Apple. Moreover, the headset encrypts the data, and it is never sent off the device. All data collected by the sensors are only sent to the Secure Enclave of the M2 chip, where it remains forever.

There's still a slight possibility for the Vision Pro to be unlocked by someone else. The company says the chances are extremely low — one in a million. To prevent exploiting this, Apple has limited the maximum number of chances to unlock the Vision Pro to five, following which a passcode is required.

Besides, for accessibility reasons, Apple has also included single-eye scanning with the Optic ID feature. The company says the security feature is more robust in this case, and there's an even slimmer chance that anyone can unlock the headset if it has been set up with just one eye.

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