-3:00 a.m. Pacific Time on August 31, 2021
Wearing a mask usually makes the iPhone’s Face ID unusable. Although this sounds like a first-world problem, many people, including medical professionals, believe that Face ID on the iPhone can work with protective equipment. Read on to learn how to use Face ID with your face mask, including the option to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch when Face ID detects that you are wearing a face mask.
Researchers at Tencent's Xuanwu Lab (via the Wall Street Journal) found that if you set up a biometric system while wearing half a mask, you can usually train Face ID to recognize that you are wearing a mask.
This tutorial talks about folding the mask in half and completing the process of setting up the face ID. In our tests, this worked, but it was not very consistent.
On 9to5Mac, we found that the most consistent method is to use half of the mask for the main Face ID settings, and use half of the mask on the other side of your face to perform/rework the alternate appearance to provide the best unlocking effect.
For its part, Apple told the Wall Street Journal:
An Apple spokesperson said in a statement: "Facial recognition is designed to make your eyes, nose and mouth visible."
However, if being able to use Face ID through a mask may be valuable to you, even if the unlock rate is not 100%, please try the following steps.
In addition to this option, we will also learn how to use the Apple Watch iPhone unlock function provided for the first time in iOS 14.5.
Here is how these steps look like:
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The iPhone was launched by Steve Jobs in 2007. It is Apple's flagship iOS device and easily becomes its most popular product in the world. The iPhone runs iOS and contains a large number of mobile applications through the App Store.
A series of tutorials, tips and tricks from the 9to5Mac team to help you repair and make the most of your favorite devices.
Michael is the editor of 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016, he has written more than 3,000 articles, including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.
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