Apple is expected to release a new iPhone model this year with Face ID, which will allow users to unlock their devices with a mask. The feature was first announced at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and has been widely rumored since. Face ID is a facial recognition system that uses infrared light and a camera to scan the user’s face. It is more secure than traditional passwords because it doesn’t require memorization or inputting characters one-by-one. The new iPhones are also expected to have other new features, such as an updated A12 Bionic chip and an edge-to-edge display. ..
We first learned about the change to Face ID yesterday, but Cult of Mac did a little extra investigating and found that you can only take advantage of unlocking your iPhone while wearing a mask if you have an iPhone 12 or 13. Older models will unlock as they always have, even after updating to iOS 15.4.
Additionally, after further testing, it was discovered that you could use Face ID with a mask with Apple Pay, which is a significant upgrade over the way Face ID and Apple Watch work on current iOS versions. You can also use it to unlock protected apps.
Currently, iOS 15.4 is in beta, so you’ll need to enroll in Apple’s beta program if you want to start unlocking your phone with a mask on. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until the new iOS version rolls out to the general public, which should be early in Spring 2022.
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