Methods and Devices for Granting Increasing Operational Access with Increasing Authentication Factors

An electronic device, comprising:

• a two-dimensional imager receiving at least one image of a person within an environment of the electronic device;
• a three-dimensional imager receiving at least one facial depth scan of the person;
• and
• one or more processors operable with the two-dimensional imager, the three-dimensional imager, the one or more processors determining:
• whether the at least one image matches a first predefined criterion;
• whether the at least one facial depth scan matches a second predefined criterion;
• and
• granting limited operational access to features, applications, or data of the electronic device when:
• the at least one image matches the first predefined criterion;
• and
• the at least one facial depth scan matches the second predefined criterion.

A method in an electronic device, comprising:

• determining, with one or more sensors of the electronic device, a distance between a person and the electronic device;
• selecting, with one or more processors of the electronic device, a first authentication method as a function of the distance;
• capturing, with the one or more sensors of the electronic device, at least one authentication input from the person;
• comparing, with the one or more processors, the at least one authentication input with one or more authentication references in accordance with the first authentication method to determine whether the person is an authorized user of the electronic device;
• and
• granting limited operational access to the electronic device where the at least one first authentication input sufficiently matches at least some of the one or more authentication references.