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

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

Popular Stories

iphone duo

Apple Announces Foldable 'iPhone Duo'

Wednesday September 9, 2026 10:56 am PDT by
Apple today announced the "iPhone Duo," a new kind of iPhone featuring two screens and a foldable inner display. The two halves of the iPhone Duo connect into a single continuous frame with the same aspect ratio across both displays, and Apple said the transition between open and closed is designed to feel fluid. When fully open, Apple says it is the thinnest iPhone ever made, with an...
Surprise and Shine Live Coverage Article

Apple Event Live Blog: iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and More Expected

Wednesday September 9, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the foldable iPhone Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models, new AirPods 5 earphones, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We...
iOS 27 Feature Dark

Apple Announces iOS 27 Release Date

Wednesday September 9, 2026 10:46 am PDT by
At its event today unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12, and more, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released later this month. iOS 27 has already been available as a developer beta since June and as a public beta since July, and Apple today said that the update will be released for all users with a compatible iPhone model on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 is...

Top Rated Comments

thadoggfather Avatar
83 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
83 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
83 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
83 months ago
Why did this take a pandemic? This process has been way too slow since the iPhone X...
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
83 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)
83 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)