What you need to know
- iOS 13.5 skips over Face ID if the user is wearing a mask.
- It will instead prompt users right away for their passcode or password.
- This is a workaround to those who have issues with Face ID while using a mask.
Apple released the iOS 13.5 beta today, and some developers have noticed a nice benefit with the update that deals with how you unlock your iPhone.
For all of us with an iPhone that has Face ID, we know how much faster and more convienient the technology is than its predeccesor, Touch ID. It's a fantastic technology that makes unlocking our phones, entering passwords, and paying with Apple Pay so much easier.
However, all of us also know that Face ID is becoming a problem for many of us during the pandemic. WIth the use of marks while in public being recommended by the government and health agencies around the world, Face ID is struggling to adapt to our new way of living.
The camera is having an issue in being able to authenicate a users face when they are wearing a mask, and failing a coupld of times before finally prompting users to enter their passcode or password. Thankfully, Apple has appeared to have created a workaround to this issue.
Some users who have the iOS 13.5 beta installed have noticed that, if they are wearing a mask, the iPhone will recognize that they are and skip past Face ID directly to passcode authentication. This cuts down the amount of time that users will have to wait to authenticate.
As pointed out by @Sonikku_a2, if you're wearing a mask, iOS 13.5 goes straight to the passcode screen if you try to unlock with Face ID (keypad not shown because iOS hides it in screen recordings) pic.twitter.com/bQCzu5u20pAs pointed out by @Sonikku_a2, if you're wearing a mask, iOS 13.5 goes straight to the passcode screen if you try to unlock with Face ID (keypad not shown because iOS hides it in screen recordings) pic.twitter.com/bQCzu5u20p— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) April 29, 2020April 29, 2020
It is unknown if Apple is working on a solution for Face ID that would actually be able to authenicate a user with a mask with enough accuracy for the company to feel confident they are not forgoing security for the sake of convienence. The company is also rumored to be working on a version of Touch ID that would work underneath the display, but it is not known if and when that technology will be available on the iPhone.
