Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus pandemic and the mandatory wearing of protective masks in various public places, some capabilities on electronic devices have shown their shortcomings. Among them is Apple's Face ID on iPhones, which Apple has been using since the 2017 iPhone X. This feature has become totally unusable in cases where the user wears a mask, but a few days ago we reported that Apple will probably bring the ability to unlock the phone on iOS 15.4 and when you have a mask on your face . Chaim Gartenberg from The Verge, tested Face ID with a mask for a few days and it turned out to be almost perfect.


Some time ago, Apple managed to make Face ID compatible even when the user wears a mask, but the catch was that the phone had to be connected to an Apple Watch that was previously authenticated. Without the use of Apple Watch, which many iPhone users do not have, Face ID has remained ineffective. However, iOS 15.4 will also bring the usability of Face ID without the user having to have an Apple Watch.


Gartenberg tested the new iOS 15.4, which brings the aforementioned feature, and he was pleasantly surprised at how well Face ID works with the mask. After installing iOS 15.4, Gartenberg first got asked on the home screen if he wanted to enable Face ID with a mask, which he did.

In a test that lasted several days, he states that Face ID proved to be very capable, and it doesn't matter whether you wear a "regular" or N95 mask. If you wear a mask and glasses at the same time, Apple will ask you to do a scan with every glasses you have, and if you don't register them, Face ID won't work, and it doesn't work with sunglasses either.