Apple patents eye-based guest mode for shared devices
Apple describes a system where a device recognizes when a non-owner is using it and creates a temporary profile based on their eye characteristics. This allows the screen to adjust to the guest's vision without requiring them to log in or provide full security credentials.
In the filing’s own words
Aspects of the subject technology provide electronic devices that operate, in part, based on enrolled user characteristics, and that can be operated by a guest user that has not been enrolled. For example, upon determining that a current user of an electronic device storing a first physical model of a primary user is a guest user different from the primary user, the electronic device may obtain initial physical characteristic data for the guest user and generate a guest physical model of the guest user based on the initial physical characteristic data. In one or more implementations, the electronic device may operate based on guest user inputs and the guest physical model of the guest user, while updating the guest physical model based on the guest user inputs.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method, comprising: by an electronic device storing: a user account of a primary user, authentication data for identification of the primary user, and a first physical model that describes physical attributes, different from the authentication data, of the primary user, the physical attributes including multiple attributes of the eyes of the primary user, determining, using the authentication data, that a current user of the electronic device is a guest user different from the primary user; and responsive to the determining: deactivating the first physical model by discontinuing use of the physical attributes of the primary user by the electronic device; obtaining, without obtaining authentication data for identification of the guest user, initial physical characteristic data for the guest user, the initial physical characteristic data including an amount of attributes of the eyes of the guest user that is less than an amount of the multiple attributes of the eyes of the primary user; generating a guest physical model of physical attributes of the guest user based on the initial physical characteristic data; and operating a display of the electronic device based on guest user inputs and the attributes of the eyes of the guest user in the guest physical model of the guest user.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Adaptive user enrollment for electronic devices
- Patent number
- US12730866B2
- Application number
- 17947070
- Filed
- Sep 16, 2022
- Granted
- Sep 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 9
- Claims
- 25
Classified under
G06F 21/316 Physics & computingG06F 21/31 Physics & computingMore from Apple in Security & privacy
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.