Image via Apple Insider
While the iPadOS 15.4 beta brings support for Universal Control, the iOS beta brings a neat new feature of its own. Apple Insider writes up the Face ID with Mask feature. Spelled like it sounds, the piece says the next version of iOS should let users unlock their iPhones while wearing a mask. According to the report:
A new onboarding screen in the iOS 15.4 beta prompts users to choose between two versions of Face ID. One is the standard Face ID, and the other is one that works while the user is wearing a mask.
While the new feature should be great for surfing and shopping while out and about, there is something of a security trade-off. According to Apple’s onboarding:
Face ID is most accurate when it's set up for full-face recognition only. To use Face ID while wearing a mask, iPhone can recognize the unique features around the eye area to authenticate.
Apple Insider says that makes Face ID with Mask a bit less secure, though Apple has not spelled out how much less secure that is.
In addition to being somewhat less secure, Face ID with Mask doesn’t go back super far. A piece from The Next Web says the feature will only work for iPhone 12 or later. That report has Apple saying that the feature requires “advancements in the TrueDepth camera system.” Those are advancements that apparently didn’t make it to the device until 2020.
