Details about the next iPhone specs have surfaced on Twitter, thanks to a leaked software update for Apple’s upcoming HomePod smart speaker. And there are a couple of nuggets about AR in there...

When the internal update went live on the public interwebs, two developers, Steve Troughton-Smith and Guilherme Rambo, caught the slip and shared their findings with the Twitterverse. Overall, the information suggests that the new iPhone has reduced bezels and loses the physical home button. Screen lock could be controlled by facial recognition that could also double as a pay mechanic.

Smile! You’re On Camera!

That facial recognition is handled by a referenced depth-sensing front-facing camera, which would also be incredibly useful for AR. The technology could enable more advanced Snapchat-like ‘stickers’ that animate closely with the user’s likeness. Troughton-Smith found reference to something called ARFaceAnchor, as well as code regarding facial expressions. It isn’t clear whether this is for detecting the user’s expression or rendering animation frames. Either way, this could be useful for generating AR avatars.

With the launch of the next iPhone likely to happen next month, we won’t have long to wait to find out more...