Code in macOS Big Sur suggests Face ID may be coming to Mac

Apple’s Face ID feature that lets you unlock a device with a face scan is limited to iPhone and iPad right now, but the code found in macOS Big Sur suggests that Face ID may be coming to Mac in the future.

Adding a TrueDepth and Face ID camera system to the Mac would be a logical next step for the feature, and 9to5Mac Face ID references located in the latest Big Sur beta, including an extension with code to support the “PearlCamera” feature.

“Pearl” is the code name that Apple has used for Face ID and the TrueDepth camera system since the feature was first released on the ‌iPhone‌ X.

There are “FaceDetect” and “BioCapture” references within the extension, and those names certainly suggest a TrueDepth camera feature for Mac.

Right now, Apple’s MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models use Touch ID and have a built-in ‘Touch ID’ button on the keyboard that works with T2 chips on machines. Apple Macs have supported ouchTouch ID‌ since 2016 when the Touch Bar was first introduced on BookMacBook Pro‌ models.

It is unknown when Macs could get Face ID support or which Macs will be the first to get it, but there are some major design tweaks rumored for machines like iMac, BookMacBook Air‌ and ‌MacBook Pro‌ with transition to mini-LED and Apple Silicon chips, so Face ID could be rolled out alongside these updates.

It could also be a feature that will take longer to implement, and so far we haven’t heard confirmed rumors about when Apple could transition.