Being able to unlock your iPhone with Face ID is great, until you’re wearing a mask. Apple recognizes this, and in beta software released today, it makes it a little easier to skip the Face ID display and enter your passcode, CNBC reports.
At the moment, there is a slight delay between your phone realizing that it can’t see your face and offering the screen to enter a passcode. To avoid that, you either have to remove your mask or turn off Face ID.
But in the most recent iOS 13.5 beta, Apple lets users swipe up to enter a passcode and skip the delay. Some Twitter users report that if your phone detects you’re wearing a mask, it will automatically jump to the passcode screen.
As pointed out by @Sonikku_a2, if you’re wearing a mask, iOS 13.5 goes straight to the passcode screen if you try to unlock with Face ID (keypad not shown because iOS hides it in screen recordings) pic.twitter.com/bQCzu5u20p
— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) April 29, 2020
Since this is still in beta, it may be a few weeks before the feature is made widely available. When it arrives, it should make accessing your phone while you’re wearing a mask a little easier and quicker. Though, what we really would have liked is new technology that helps your phone recognize you even with a mask on, without reducing security.
