Apple testing Face ID feature that lets you unlock iPhone while wearing mask

Apple’s description for the Face ID With a Mask feature, however, states that Face ID will work more accurately when it is set up “for full-face recognition only”.

Apple was one of the first few companies to have implemented workarounds for unlocking a phone after we began using masks as a necessary part of our lives during the pandemic. Initially, your iPhone would just switch to the passcode system once it detected a mask on your face. Then, Apple eased the process by letting Apple Watch owners unlock their iPhone without entering a passcode or removing their mask. Now, it seems it is time for another change. A big one. Apple is testing the ability of the iPhone to allow Face ID to work with masks on but without needing the Apple Watch.

The first developer beta of iOS 15.4 has a nifty feature where you can set your iPhone to detect your face through Face ID with a mask on. The feature was first spotted by YouTuber Brandon Butch, who also shared screenshots to give us a better idea of how Apple will make Face ID work with half the user’s face covered. A new setting in Apple’s Face ID & Passcode settings reads “Use Face ID With a Mask” that you can turn on to allow the iPhone to use Face ID while wearing a mask. However, there are some caveats.

Apple’s description for the feature states that Face ID will work more accurately when it is set up “for full-face recognition only”. That means a face covered with a mask may not allow Face ID to work with full security. Apple says the “iPhone can recognise the unique features around the eye area to authenticate” for Face ID With a Mask work. Another catch is that only newer iPhones will support this feature, according to 9to5Mac.

While the feature arrives at least two years after everyone got used to wearing masks, it is still a first. Apple is also improving Face ID recognition for when you have put glasses on. “Using Face ID while wearing a mask works best when it’s set up to recognize each pair of glasses you wear regularly,” Apple has noted in the feature description. But sunglasses will not work with masks on, Apple has warned. With masks and glasses on, there is not much area of the face that Face ID can read properly. Since sunglasses would conceal the area around the eyes, Face ID would not work. But regular glasses, such as reading glasses, may be fine for Face ID.

The new Face ID feature is a part of iOS 15.4 beta, so only testers and developers have access to it. It will take some time before Apple makes it available to everyone. It is also likely that you will not see the feature if Apple finds an issue in the feature or testers give it negative feedback.