iPhone 12 & 13 get Face ID with mask support in iOS 15.4 beta

Apple has released the developer beta of iOS 15.4, the upcoming update to its mobile operating system. The headline feature of this update is the ability to unlock an iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, many iPhone users have been asking for a way to unlock their devices while wearing masks. While many demanded the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor, something Apple’s iPhones have not carries since the iPhone X, it seems that Apple chose to upgrade its face unlock tech instead.

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Apple has now trained its algorithms to recognise the eye region of a user when wearing a mask. Users do not need to set up Face ID with a mask to use this new feature. Apple claims that the accuracy and security of Face ID does not change if users opt to use it with a mask, meaning that there’s a 1 in 1,000,000 chance that it could falsely recognise an unregistered person.

Users should note that the ability to use Face ID with masks is only available for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series. Users with iPhone X, iPhone XS, or iPhone 11 smartphones will not be able to take advantage of this new feature. iPad models with Face ID support also do not currently support unlocking with masks.