I've recently bought a Moto G7, and it's got face recognition. But I was shocked when I set it up - it just took one quick snap of my face without giving time to line up my face in the scanned area, and that was it. When I tried using it from the lock screen, it only took a brief glimpse of part of my face to get a login. I kept on opening the phone by accident when I was doing other things. Needless to say, I dumped the face recognition very quickly.
Notwithstanding my well known personal bias for all things Apple, it does actually seem to be widely accepted that Apple's Face ID is in a different league to all the others. ISTR (but can't find the proof) that when Google launched a Pixel with Face ID, their press release even compared themselves to Apple as the 'standard setter', citing Apple as the only serious competing implementation. Unfortunately, it later transpired that you could awaken a Pixel with your eyes closed.
IOS uses more than just the front facing camera, it is supposedly using some exotic infra red technology with 3d modelling. Setting up Face ID is actually a little tedious, requiring the user to move head around in a circle several times to allow the sensors to build an accurate 3d representation. But I don't mind tedious setup if it gives me greater confidence that it is safe.
It also allows you to configure an 'alternative appearance'. I'm not sure if that's intended to allow it to recognise (say) your wife, or to allow it to recognise yourself should you sometimes want to wear a disguise such as false beard and big nose.
it's not a "false positive" though. it's still the persons face. the eyes being open or shut doesn't stop it being that persons face.
eyes being open or closed is simply an "additional" security feature to stop the phone being unlocked when you are asleep.
however, finger readers have the same issue as it can't tell if you are awake or not.
google will be adding an option to only unlock when eyes are open though, so mostly a fuss about nothing IMO.
Indeed, Face ID that doesn't require eye contact is imho no better than fingerprint scanning.
