Apple's upcoming iOS 15 update can unlock your phone without removing the skin. The iOS 15.4 beta, released to developers on Thursday, introduces the new security feature as a new FaceID option.
In a sign that Apple, like the rest of us, knows that skins aren't going away any time soon, the California tech giant is working, under the iOS 15.4 beta, on a new way to read your face and unlock your phone.
This update, which appears in Settings, Face ID and Passcode, was spotted, among others, by Brandon Butch on Twitter and verified by TechRadar. It will allow you to select the option to read the part of your face that appears above the mask for facial recognition.
Essentially, the system will use the identification characteristics of your eyes and the area around them to identify you and, if they match, unlock your phone.
It's not like the two-factor authentication system Apple currently uses to help skin users unlock their iPhones, which was introduced with iOS 14.5. In this case, instead of waiting for iPhone Face ID to fail, it automatically unlocks your iPhone if you take your Apple Watch with you for authentication.
Well it's new 🤔 (iOS 15.4 Beta 1) pic.twitter.com/MSe7hmPGlRJanuary 27, 2022
Read more
In the current beta version of iOS 15.4, there is a warning on the Face ID settings page that says: "Face ID is most accurate when configured for facial recognition only."
While the system will be able to recognize your masked face, it does not require you to wear a mask during setup.
Current Face ID registration requires you to look at the screen and slowly turn your head clockwise while your iPhone's TrueDepth module scans your face. It takes two rounds before your face is in the system. You cannot register more than one face. So it's a case of either using whatever face recording you have or setting it to recognize your unmasked and masked face.
By the way, it is still possible to continue using only facial recognition without a mask. Face ID capabilities to wear a mask can be turned on and off in Settings.
As with all beta software, all of this is subject to change. iOS developer betas go through several cycles and updates before being released to the general public. The page language could change, as could Face ID with a skins feature. It might even disappear completely.