Apple has been accused of being 'racist' after a Chinese boy realised he could unlock his mum's iPhone X using the facial recognition software.

A husband bought his wife the new smartphone, but she was then shocked to discover it could be unlocked by the couple's son.

It seems the family, who live in the city of Shanghai are not the only Chinese users who have been able to open each other's phones.

Increasingly iPhone users in China – a country of more than a billion people – are concerned about their iPhone X's security and privacy features.

The father, identified only by his surname Liu, phoned Apple's customer service hotline to report the problem.

'Our son was using it and didn't know the password', he said, according to Shandong TV Station.

He was told it was a rare, isolated case and was due to the fact his wife and son look very similar.

It is believed the tech giant has now launched a full investigation into the Liu family's claims.

The news come just a week after another Chinese woman realised she could unlock her colleague's iPhone X.

Madam Yan from Nanjing was appalled to discover her colleague Madam Wan could unlock her new phone using Face ID.

This was despite the pair having a number of different features, including different haircuts.

The pair claim the incident occurred multiple times.