Omicrono The iPhone is already unlocked with a mask and without Apple Watch: this is how you can do it

FaceID with mask in iOS 15.4OmicronoOmicrono

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Apple's FaceID system is updated to unlock the iPhone only with the eye area when wearing a mask and without having an Apple Watch.

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The different variants of Covid-19 have shown that masks will continue to be necessary for a while longer until the pandemic is considered eradicated. Two years ago this element was imposed everywhere, making it difficult, among other things, to use facial recognition on mobile phones. After all this time, Apple launches, also in Spain, an iOS update to unlock the iPhone with a mask and without Apple Watch.

The beta version of iOS 15.4 reflects a new function capable of analyzing identity features in the eye area to recognize the user even if they have half their face covered by the mask. For now, the function would reach a very small group of iPhones, but this option would open up the possibility of using FaceID easily in a pandemic to more people.

Apple recognizes that this option reduces the level of security offered by the facial recognition system developed for its mobile phones, although it is necessary to facilitate the use of iPhones, compared to the methods that they have previously adopted in these two years of pandemic .

Eye Focus

"If you use Face ID while wearing a mask, iPhone will be able to authenticate you if it recognizes the identifying features around your eyes," is how Apple describes its new feature. The mobile's front cameras and sensors will focus on the free area of ​​the face when detecting that the user is covering his mouth and nose.

FaceID update in iOS 15.4OmicronoOmicrono

Until now, Apple had updated FaceID to let the system know when a person is wearing a mask. At that time, the iOS 14.5 version disabled the face unlock to communicate with the Apple Watch (if you have one). Being close, the phone deduces that the owner is the one who tries to use the mobile and the watch vibrates to warn the user that the device has been unlocked.

With this new update it will no longer be necessary to wear the Apple watch for the mobile to recognize its owner. It will be a safer alternative than the one used by the Apple Watch, however, the use of the new FaceID with a mask can reduce the quality of the original protection method, there will be users who prefer to remove the mask momentarily to maintain the security of the mobile at its level higher.

Only on iPhone 12 and 13

Not all iOS users will, for the moment, be able to benefit from this novelty. For now, according to 9to5Mac, it is only compatible with the most modern phone series, that is, the iPhone 12 and 13. This medium has also verified that it is not possible to use this function on Apple tablets, more specifically on an iPad Pro 2018.

Those who can already access the Face ID update with a mask can configure face recognition without covering their face, to activate the function later and for the mobile to focus on analyzing the eye area and not the face mouth or nose. When the testing phase is over, this update will be released to all new iPhone users.

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