You Can Now Use Face ID to Unlock Your iPhone While You’re Wearing a Mask

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If you’re wearing a face mask to protect yourself from the pandemic, the last thing you want to do is pull it down to unlock your phone. But with Face ID on the iPhone, you may be tempted to pull down your mask “for just a second” to unlock your phone.

Now you no longer have to worry about pulling down your mask when you want to unlock your iPhone. With the latest update to iOS, 15.4, you can now unlock your iPhone using Face ID while wearing a mask.

About Using Face ID to Unlock Your iPhone While Wearing a Mask

Using Face ID with a mask to unlock your iPhone has been possible since last year, if you have an Apple Watch. (To learn how, check out => How to Unlock Your iPhone with Your Apple Watch When You’re Wearing a Mask.)

Now, with the latest update to iOS for iPhones, you can use Face ID to unlock your phone while you’re wearing a mask with or without an Apple Watch.

But to use Face ID while you’re wearing a mask, you have to enable that feature in Settings. By taking a few minutes to set up Face ID with a mask, you can save time unlocking your iPhone and avoid the temptation of lowering your mask.

Note that using Face ID with a mask is only available on certain iPhones. See the Availability section below to see whether your iPhone has this feature.

How to Set Up Using Face ID While Wearing a Mask

If you want to use Face ID when you’re wearing a mask, you need to enable the feature in Settings. You must also update your iPhone to iOS 15.4 or later.

Checking Your iPhone’s Version of iOS

To check which version of iOS your iPhone is using:

Go to Settings => General => About => Software Version.

The version should be 15.4 or later. If not, go to Settings => General => Software Update and follow the instructions to update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS.

Setting Up Face ID with a Mask

To enable using Face ID while wearing a mask, go to Settings => Face ID & Passcode. You will be asked to enter your passcode.

Scroll down to Face ID with a Mask and swipe the switch to On.

If you have not yet set up Face ID, you’ll be asked to follow the steps to set it up. You do not need to wear a mask while you set up Face ID. In fact, your iPhone doesn’t want you to wear a mask during setup.

If you’ve previously set up Face ID, you don’t need to do anything else. You’re all set to start using Face ID to unlock your iPhone while you’re wearing a mask.

To test Face ID, try turning your iPhone off, then turn it back on using Face ID while wearing a mask. You should not notice a difference between unlocking your iPhone while wearing a mask or not wearing a mask.

Availability of Using Face ID While Wearing a Mask

Only certain iPhones have the ability to use Face ID while wearing a mask. This feature is only available for the most recent iPhones:

• iPhone 12‌‌
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max

If you have an older iPhone and want to use Face ID while wearing a mask, not all is lost. You can still use Face ID while wearing a mask if you have an Apple Watch.

If you have an iPad that uses Face ID, you can’t use it while wearing a mask, yet. Apple has not yet made this feature available on the iPad.

Your Thoughts

Have you ever pulled down your mask to unlock your iPhone using Face ID? Do you like the idea of using Face ID while wearing a mask? Have you set up Face ID with a Mask in Settings?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!

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*iPhone Photo of Person with Mask image (edited) via Shutterstock and PicMonkey Pro