Apple reportedly acquires facial recognition startup RealFace

In a bid to take its security and Artificial Intelligence services a notch higher, Apple reportedly has acquired Israeli cyber security firm RealFace that specialises in facial recognition technology.

The Times of Israel reported on Sunday that the startup, founded in 2014, was snapped up by Apple for an estimated $2 million, while a local Hebrew-language publication Calcalist said the deal was worth "several million dollars".

The acquisition adds fuel to the recent rumours that iPhone’s next iteration may come with facial authentication technology. RealFace has developed a unique facial recognition technology that integrates artificial intelligence and "brings back human perception to digital processes". The company aims at making deep learning-powered biometric logins customary and passwords redundant while unlocking your mobile device or PC.

The Israeli startup also developed a now-defunct app called Pickeez, which selected and collated a user's best photos across various platforms using the RealFace recognition software.

This is Apple’s third big acquisition in machine learning space in recent times. Before RealFace, it acquired Seattle-based machine learning startup called Turi for close to $200 million. Next was TupleJump, an India/US based machine learning company that Cupertino giant acquired to simplify data management technologies.