WASHINGTON — As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, iPhone users will finally be able to use Face ID while wearing a mask.
Those using Face ID on their iPhones can all relate nowadays to the mild, but irksome, inconvenience of having to pull down your mask any time you need to unlock your phone in public.
But that will soon to change, at least for some iPhone users.
Apple has announced that the new iOS update will allow for facial recognition while wearing a mask, but only for iPhone models 12 and higher.
In order for the feature to work, you will need to make sure your device has iOS 15.4 later, and you must then go to the "Face ID and Passcode" tab on your device's settings where you can toggle the feature on and off. Once activated, users will need to re-do the Face ID setup process while wearing a mask to teach the software your appearance.
Apple noted that users need to wear their face mask correctly in order for the feature to properly work: the detection software requires eyes to be unblocked.
As the surge of cases tied to the omicron variant has faded, most places in the U.S. have dropped COVID-19 restrictions including face mask requirements. However, face masks are still required on planes, trains and other forms of public transit, at least until April 18.
iOS update brings along 37 emojis
Apple's latest update isn't just security features: also included in the package are 37 new emojis that were added to the Unicode Consortium last year.
Among the new additions: a pregnant man and pregnant person; two hands making a heart; a "melting" face and an incredibly intimidating "index pointing at the viewer," just to name a few.