LG is planning to update the LG G6 with a 3D facial recognition feature in the coming months, industry sources said on Wednesday. The Seoul-based consumer electronics manufacturer apparently negotiated a deal with a Korean facial recognition company Oez that will reportedly integrate its OezFR face scanning solution into the LG G6. While it’s currently unclear for how long the two have been negotiating, sources say the companies already conducted a series of tests and concluded that the Oze-made facial recognition solution is compatible with the LG G6. The feature may start rolling out as early as June, the report states, possibly connecting the facial recognition functionality with the upcoming LG Pay service that’s also expected to debut on the LG G6 in the coming months.
While Oez isn’t the only Korean company developing facial recognition solutions, LG’s choice of a partner was reportedly influenced by the fact that the firm’s software is compatible with its older flagship devices like the G5 and the V20, implying the same technology might also make its way to more handsets in the future. Oez’s service is allegedly not only intuitive to use, but its software is also not heavier than 5MB, meaning it would be easy to distribute as an over-the-air (OTA) update to compatible devices. Finally, the contactless authentication solution reportedly boasts robust security measures and is already compatible with a wide variety of third-party software, so the South Korean tech giant may opt to use it for more than just mobile payments.
Provided the source is correct and LG is truly planning to update its latest flagship with a facial recognition solution, it remains to be seen whether the company will be looking to launch it alongside LG Pay. If it will, the feature might not be available in the West for the foreseeable future seeing how there’s currently no information on whether LG’s mobile payments solution will be released outside of the company’s home country. Regarding the LG G6 itself, the firm’s latest high-end smartphone officially hit the market last week and is already available for purchase in most Western countries, including the United States.