Unlocking Your iPhone with Face ID While Wearing a Mask
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Chapter 1: The Challenge of Using Face ID with a Mask
For many iPhone users, the convenience of Face ID is a daily blessing. Whether you're making purchases with Apple Pay, logging into apps, or simply unlocking your device, the ease of facial recognition saves time and effort—especially when typing on a small screen becomes increasingly cumbersome.
However, the introduction of masks has created a frustrating barrier. Remember the days when you could simply glance at your iPhone, and it would unlock? Those moments have been interrupted by the constant struggle of trying to authenticate your identity while masked. You confidently approach the payment terminal, only to be met with the dreaded message: "Face Not Recognized." This often leads to awkward fumbling as you resort to entering your passcode in front of an impatient cashier.
Section 1.1: Enabling Face ID with a Mask Feature
Fortunately, Apple has addressed this issue with a new feature that allows Face ID to function while wearing a mask, introduced in the latest version of iOS.
However, there are some prerequisites: you need an iPhone 12 or later, and your device must be running iOS 15.4 or higher.
After updating your iPhone, you'll need to restart it, at which point you will be prompted to enable this new capability. Interestingly, you won't need to wear a mask during the setup process. I initially reached for my mask, but the phone informed me it was unnecessary, so I proceeded without it.
During the setup, I was asked to wear my glasses for the first scan, but then was instructed to remove them for the second. The entire process took only about 10 seconds.
Afterward, I donned my mask and was pleased to find that the feature worked flawlessly, displaying "Hold Near Reader" instead of the usual "Face Not Recognized."
Section 1.2: How to Set Up Face ID with a Mask Later
If you decide not to enable the Face ID with Mask feature immediately after restarting, here’s how to do it later:
- Ensure your iPhone is on iOS 15.4 or later.
- Open the Settings app and navigate to Face ID & Passcode.
- Scroll down and toggle the Face ID with a Mask option to on.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to scan your face, making sure to select the option to use Face ID with a Mask.
I hope this guide proves helpful. Share your experience with the feature!
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