Face ID is an easy and convenient way to unlock your iPhone, and as of March 2022, Apple even lets you use Face ID while wearing a mask. Since its debut on the iPhone X in 2017, Face ID has been Apple's go-to system for biometric security. And it's a generally great system! Face ID is fast, reliable, and requires less input than Touch ID. Simply look at your iPhone, wait a brief second for Face ID to scan your face, and that's all there is to it.
Unfortunately, the last couple of years has made Face ID a lot less useful. In a world where people wear face masks out in public, the whole point of Face ID is lost. If you have a mask on, Face ID can't recognize your face. If Face ID can't recognize your face, that means needing to enter a PIN/password to unlock your phone, open an app, approve an Apply Pay purchase, etc. Apple tried remedying this in April 2021 with its 'Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch' feature, but that only worked if someone had an Apple Watch.
Thankfully, a more complete solution is available. As of March 14, 2022, iPhone users can use Face ID even while wearing a face mask. The functionality was added to the iPhone as part of the iOS 15.4 update. While setting it up is pretty self-explanatory, you first need to consider a couple of caveats. Not only does your iPhone need iOS 15.4 or a later version, but it also must be an iPhone 12 or newer model. In other words, Face ID only works with face masks if you have an iPhone 12/12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro/12 Pro Max, iPhone 13/13 mini, or iPhone 13 Pro/13 Pro Max. Future iPhone models should also work with the feature, but anything from the iPhone 11 and older isn't supported.
Assuming you have iOS 15.4 and a supported iPhone, setting up Face ID with a mask is quite simple. Open the Settings app on your iPhone, scroll down, tap 'Face ID & Passcode,' and tap the toggle next to 'Face ID with a Mask.' This displays a new page asking you to confirm the action. Tap 'Use Face ID with a Mask,' tap the blue 'Get Started' button, and scan your face to set up Face ID. Keep in mind that you do not need to wear a mask when setting up Face ID with a mask. Leave the mask off and scan your face like normal.
Once the scan is complete, you'll see a green checkmark and a note saying, "Face ID is Now Set Up." Tap the blue 'Done' button at the bottom of the screen to finish the setup. And that's it! Now you can use Face ID with or without a mask and have it work just the same.
The best part to all of this? Face ID with a mask works exactly the same as 'normal' Face ID does. You can unlock your iPhone lock screen, open banking apps/password managers, and approve Apple Pay purchases — all while wearing a face mask. It would have been nice if Apple had released this functionality sooner, but it's certainly better late than never.
Source: Apple
