Apple Users Will Soon Be Able To Unlock iPhones While Wearing A Mask

After a year of struggling with COVID-19 and the problem of unable to unlock your phone with Face ID while wearing a mask, iPhone users have finally got a solution from Apple.

Apple’s upcoming iOS update comes bearing the ability to unlock an iPhone while users have masks on, but the catch here is they must be wearing an unlocked Apple Watch while doing so.

The feature isn’t exactly new – it is borrowed from a similar function Mac computers have been possessing for years. For many years, Apple Watch can tell if users have taken them off their wrists, meaning if users unlock it after putting it on, it will stay unlocked.

The fact that many Apple users wear face masks poses a serious problem to the Cupertino tech giant which has been gradually switching to Face ID. While the upper part of the face is still visible, the covered lower part makes it hard for the security system to work properly.

Last year, to solve the face mask problem, Apple released a software update that allows the phones to switch to passcode when they recognize masks.

However, an unlocked Apple Watch and the upper half of the face aren’t enough, users still need to glance at the phone to confirm their intention to unlock it. On the flip side, the update significantly reduces the accuracy needed for iPhone to be sure the person holding it is its owner.

To make sure the watch and the phone are being held by the same person, iPhone also measures the strength of the Bluetooth signal between the two devices.

The new feature will come with iOS 14.5. The update also has Apple’s App Tracking Transparency – the feature that has fueled war between the Cupertino tech giant and Facebook, along with support for PS5 and Xbox controllers.

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