Apple's Latest Update Allows Users to Use Face ID With Masks On

Apple is testing a feature that would allow its facial recognition system to work with masks and without the Apple Watch. The company on Friday released the first iOS 15.4 developer beta version and it contains an update that gives users the ability to use Face ID with masks on and without an Apple Watch nearby.

The update claims that the “iPhone can recognize the unique features around the eye area to authenticate” but warns that Face ID is going to be more accurate if you have it set to not work with a mask.

With this iOS update, Apple has introduced various updates with respect to its users in a post-pandemic era. iOS 13.5 would detect that you’re wearing a mask and quickly ask you for your passcode instead of trying to authenticate your face, and 14.5 let people with Apple Watches use Face ID while wearing a mask. (It seems to unlock for anyone wearing a mask, as long as your Apple Watch is close enough to the phone.) For people without an Apple Watch, however, it seems like this functionality may finally be on the horizon, assuming it proves to be secure enough.

Apple made its announcement about iOS 15.4 beta – which also includes new emojis and the ability to copy text from objects using the camera while in the Notes or Reminders apps – alongside the release of Universal Control in developer beta releases of the macOS Monterey 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 operating systems.

iPhone: How to use Face ID with a mask

With Apple Watch

1. Make sure you’re running iOS 14.5 on iPhone and watchOS 7.4 on Apple Watch or later
2. On iPhone, head to Settings > Face ID & Passcode
3. Swipe down and under Unlock with Apple Watch, tap the toggle next to Apple Watch
4. Now when Face ID detects you’re wearing a mask, your iPhone will use Apple Watch to unlock it
5. Read more here to see how it works

Without Apple Watch

1. Head to Settings > Face ID & Passcode
2. You can either try to do the first step as an Alternate Appearance or choose to Reset Face ID
3. Once you’ve picked Set up Face ID or Set Up Alternate Appearance, fold your mask in half and hold it up to your face
4. If your iPhone says “Face Obstructed” move your mask slowly away from the center of your face until it asks you to “Move your head slowly to complete the circle.” 
5. Complete two scans of your face with the mask folded in the same orientation
6. You should see “Face ID is now set up”
7. Put your mask on, covering your whole face, test out if it works to unlock your iPhone

Competitors, notably Samsung Electronics, give users the option to use only an iris scan to unlock their devices, thereby bypassing masks. The testing feature is currently available only on iPhone 12 and 13 and not on any models older than iPhone 12.