iOS 13.5 Beta Makes It Easier to Unlock an iPhone With Passcode When Wearing a Mask - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 13.5 Beta Makes It Easier to Unlock an iPhone With Passcode When Wearing a Mask

by

Many people are wearing masks that cover their faces when going outside, visiting stores, and other tasks, and Apple's Face ID iPhones do not unlock when the face is obscured by a mask.

fasterfaceid
In the iOS 13.5 beta, released this morning, Apple has streamlined the speed with which the passcode pops up when a person wearing a mask is detected, making it easier to get into an iPhone with a passcode when ‌Face ID‌ fails.

Speedier access to the passcode interface is noticeable when you swipe upwards on the Home screen when unlocking the iPhone, as this action now immediately brings up the passcode interface if your face is covered by a mask.

Previously, the iPhone would attempt to initiate ‌Face ID‌ first, creating a few seconds of delay before the passcode interface was shown. The new, speedier passcode entry method makes it quicker to get into an iPhone.

The feature is available in the current iOS 13.5 beta, which should see a public release in the next few weeks.

Related Forum: iOS 13

Top Rated Comments

thadoggfather Avatar
thadoggfather
78 months ago
Power tip: when you swipe up on current versions, press FaceID text in the center of the screen to avoid waiting for it to scan your face and fail, prompting the password after that.
Score: 58 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thejadedmonkey Avatar
thejadedmonkey
78 months ago
If only there was some other means of authenticating, that didn't rely on your face being visible.

#TouchIDForEver
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
I7guy
78 months ago

If only there was some other means of authenticating, that didn't rely on your face being visible.

#TouchIDForEver
If only there were another way of authenticating that didn't rely on biometrics not working with gloves on.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jarman92 Avatar
jarman92
78 months ago
Why did this take a pandemic? This process has been way too slow since the iPhone X...
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G
gutefahrt
78 months ago
This is why I'm still using an 8+. I wear a surgical mask for long periods of time. It's not just unlocking the phone, but all passwords & ApplePay. It's a pain when I use my iPadPro. Please release a combo FaceID / under-screen Fingerprint sensor, Apple.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
K
killawat
78 months ago
FaceID is a good test for mask compliance. If your phone doesn't recognize you with one on, you're not wearing it enough!

Jokes aside thank you Apple for trying to address this.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments