Apple's upcoming instalment of iPhone flagships: iPhone 8 has been a subject of wide speculations and rumors. The smartphone is expected to uncover some big surprises from the house of Apple. Among these surprises, one of the most hinted features is the replacement of physical home button with a virtual edition of the same. And, alongside this, another addition that is now indicated by a number of potential sources to be equipped with the handset is a next-gen facial recognition attribute.

AppleInsider was among the pioneers to crack this information. The organisation revealed this information as soon as it spotted Apple publishing a new application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for "Locking and unlocking a mobile device using facial recognition."

The report further stated that the facial recognition technology will be evolved by a front-facing camera on the handset. This front camera will look for the recognised user's face before unlocking itself. If the camera couldn't find out the user then it will automatically lock it up. With this next-gen technology, the smartphone will be inaccessible to any suspicious or unknown individual unless the recognised owner.

Moreover, if this facial recognition is activated, there would be no need to enter any PIN or use the TouchID to unlock the phone. Even, Apple is hinted to work on this technology for quite a long time now. As per a report by Forbes, the Cupertino tech giant acquired the startup named: 'Realface,' a firm which specialises in on the integration of facial recognition technology alongside artificial intelligence attributes specifically to improve smart and safe login systems.

These indications serve a lot for iPhone 8's chances of getting facial recognition technology. Some reports even claimed that the smartphone will be power packed with a few improved augmented-reality-driven (AR) features as well. Interested tech fans need to wait till any further confirmation about these specs comes from the company's end.