Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Testing iOS 15.4's New Face ID With a Mask Feature
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
No I’m fine. You asked me a question and didn’t like the answer so you started setting up straw men. Let’s leave it there. It’s really not worth arguing about.
Aoligei
macrumors 68000
Why is this restricted to iPhone 12 and up? Same technology all along, there is no reason why iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone 11 series can’t have this feature.
Also why not give people option for both face unlocking and fingerprint sensor?
iGeneo
Suspended
Front camera on 13 is superior to 12
Fingerprint could come in future, but they won't be sending you a button.. new phone time.
Fat_Guy
macrumors 65816
Not that I would know but a poster in the other face unmask thread said it could be due to the newer Secure Enclave changes with the model 12 and 13. I don’t know anything about this so take it for what it is.
Ah yes, priorities... Is it a greater priority to facilitate a security feature, or facilitate public health and safety?
This feature, like Unlock with Apple Watch, is a setting that is OFF by default. Nobody will have their iPhone's security weakened unless they choose to do so. The most robust security is passcode-only. Both Touch ID and Face ID are conveniences that somewhat compromise the security of a passcode. The net effect of biometrics is to reduce the inconveniences that come with enabling the passcode; therefore more people secure their stuff.
This is still more secure than Touch ID, so the banks and card issuers who opt-in for this are still better off than if Apple brought Touch ID back for the masses.
As to "pinning their colours to the mast" - it really isn't political. It's coping with the realities of the day. COVID exists. Masks are a mitigation strategy - one of a variety of practices adopted to do things like reduce employee absenteeism, medical insurance costs, etc. Fewer COVID infections is good for most businesses.
With or without government mandates, there are people who prefer to, or actually need to wear a mask in the midst of a killing pandemic. Some people actually care about not spreading their (possible) undetected, incubating infection to others and/or protecting themselves from potential infection. So, is it wrong for Apple to provide this option for those who want it (and have been clamoring for it in forums like this one)?
Again, it's optional to "weaken the robustness" of Face ID. For that matter, it's unlikely that someone would be arrested or fined for pulling their mask aside for a moment to unlock their phone. It's all a matter of personal convenience and personal choice; the convenience to use Face ID without having to remove the mask that they may just prefer to wear.
Now as far as I know, nobody in government has asked Apple to do this. As to "government decrees?" Ah, the choice of a word - laws/rules are good when you agree with their goals; they only become decrees when you disagree.
I don't see it as Apple trying to curry favor with government, I see it as Apple currying favor with the people who buy Apple's products.
=========
And for those who have been asking, "Why did it take Apple two years?" I suspect while part of it was technical, another part was getting buy-in from the banks and other players who have adopted Face ID for payment approval, unlocking their apps, etc.
Technically speaking, Apple needed to train the Machine Learning algorithms to measure a similar number of biometric markers within a smaller usable area (face minus mask). I'm guessing that the sensors used in iPhone 12 and 13 have greater acuity than the sensors in earlier models - the ability to read more biometric markers in a smaller area may require more acuity than older sensors can muster.
If money was a consideration at all for Apple, it might have been, "This doesn't work very well on iPhone X and iPhone 11. That's going to increase the number of calls made to Apple Support and boost demand for Genius Bar appointments," which of course, costs Apple money. Unhappy customers costs Apple money; the only question is whether they're unhappy about not getting a new feature, or unhappy about how that new feature performs.
But people believe what they will. Does anyone seriously think there will be many iPhone X or 11 owners motivated to trade in their phones in order to get this feature? It may nudge some who were on the fence about upgrading, but by itself, hardly a "killer app."
sudo-sandwich
Suspended
I did until my iPhone 6S broke last month and I couldn't find a replacement in time for a trip. Got a 12 mini.
Last edited:
klasma
macrumors G4
Apple probably thinks that iPhone 11 owners are clearly stuck in pre-pandemic times.
The difference is that AW only unlocks your phone. If you use Face ID to protect passwords, banking apps, or anything else that may use Face ID authentication, the AW doesn't help. You would have to use your passcode.
This solution is the full Face ID authentication that lets you get into what the AW doesn't let you.
Last edited:
These people probably don't even have winter in their countries or care to wear gloves, as they seem to be immune to frozen hands from harsh winter winds where using Touch ID hurts the average Joe.
Did you set up the additional setting of "Face ID with glasses?" It comes up as a prompt after you set up face ID with a mask afterwards. It's also in Settings.
sudo-sandwich
Suspended
Or there could be a technical reason for why older generations don't have this available to them. "The iPhone 12 features the latest Neural Engine for improved machine learning features and capabilities. Apple says the new 16-core Neural Engine offers an 80% increase in performance compared to the prior generation. On the flip side, the iPhone 11 is powered by Apple’s A13 Bionic processor as well as the third-generation Neural Engine."
That 80% could be the difference in Machine Learning capabilities for biometrics authentication with a mask on.
It's easy to paint Apple or any other company in a negative light unless they spell out the reason why they chose to release a new feature for specific devices only. Even then, people who aren't technical will still say they are lying and only wanting people to upgrade.
This is also still in beta 1. It is possible (remotely or not) that it can be activated in earlier devices?
klasma
macrumors G4
What are people doing with their phones that they'd want to unlock it... But keep their gloves on and still not be able to use the touch screen...?
Many gloves have capacitive fingertips. So you can use the phone but not log into it with Touch ID.
Main advantage to this new Face ID feature for me is Apple Pay. Passcode is substantially slower than just using your credit card, and pulling your mask down in a mask required environment is less than ideal.
Not only that, they act as if they can actually use their phone with gloves on. Silly people. Face ID is not a definitively superior solution over Touch ID. They both have strengths and weaknesses.
DailySlow
macrumors 65816
All I ever have to do is pull mask down for a sec below my nose and bingo.
Apple yesterday released the iOS 15.4 beta and introduced a useful new feature that lets you unlock your iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask. Face ID with a Mask does not require hardware like an Apple Watch for authentication, and though it makes Face ID a bit less secure, it is much more convenient in a world where many of us are still wearing masks on a regular basis.
After updating to iOS 15.4 on a compatible iPhone, Face ID with a Mask comes up as a setup option. You can enable it right away with a new Face ID scan, and from there, unlocking your iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask is as easy as it is without a mask.
Just swipe up on the Lock Screen of your iPhone with your mask on and it will unlock as expected with Face ID. Face ID with a mask is almost identical to Face ID without a mask, but it's not going to unlock from unusual angles because direct eye contact is required. You need to be looking right at your iPhone for Face ID with a Mask to work, which isn't always the case with standard Face ID.
If you didn't enable the new Face ID feature at setup after installing iOS 15.4, you can do so later under Settings > Face ID & Passcode. You'll also want to visit this section if you plan to wear glasses while also wearing a mask.
Glasses wearers will need to put on glasses, put on a mask, and use the "Add Glasses" feature to create a new Face ID scan that will let Face ID work with both facial accessories. Face ID with a Mask cannot be used with sunglasses because the feature needs to see your eyes.
Apple says that Face ID with a mask can "recognize the unique features around the eye" for authentication purposes. It is not as secure or as accurate as full-face recognition, but it is much more convenient, especially for iPhone users who do not own an Apple Watch for unlocking.
Unlike the Apple Watch Face ID feature, Face ID with a Mask is fully identical to standard Face ID in terms of what can be authenticated. You can use Face ID with a Mask for Apple Pay purchases and in lieu of a passcode in third-party apps.
Face ID with a Mask is available on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models. If you have an iPhone 11 or older, the feature will not be available to you. It's not clear if this is a temporary restriction, and it's possible Apple could be planning to expand the feature to other devices in future betas.
Have you tried Face ID with a Mask? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Article Link: Testing iOS 15.4's New Face ID With a Mask Feature
You have choices. The fact that the choices aren’t perfect doesn’t mean you don’t have any.
No matter what product Apple produces, there will be people here who complain about it. Even if their complaint is something as insignificant as the notch or white bezels, MacRumors will amplify it into a crisis comparable to Russia invading the Ukraine.
It works for me while wearing both sunglasses and a mask. But the sunglasses are custom made prescription - before the modification (with non-prescription shades), Face ID did not work at all. So it depends on the material used in the sunglasses.
Spot on.
Aggrievance, and usually followed by outrage, at the drop of a hat. A badge of honor. And the new normal.
szw-mapple fan
macrumors 68040
You don’t know that it’s less secure. Given that they were able to do mask detection since 2020 and it not working for sunglasses, it sounds like they‘ve put in more work to make it secure than just toggled something on.
szw-mapple fan
macrumors 68040
Nowhere did Apple is saying this is less secure, just that it’s “less accurate” In the setup screen, which can mean that there is a higher chance it won’t recognize your face. Since it requires newer phones and doesn’t work with sunglasses, there’s a good chance it requires more computational speed and uses more scanned datapoints near your eyes in order to keep a high level of security. Seems like it’s just macrumors speculating how secure this is.
macfacts
macrumors 603
Because apple gets to decide how and why, no need to justify any choice they make. Apple has never been about user choice.
I used it today at the shops, it worked flawlessly, Its great that I dont need to pull my mask down to access my ApplePay cards. Im happy that's its less secure for more convenience.