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  • How Can I Unlock My iPhone with a Mask On?

How Can I Unlock My iPhone with a Mask On?

April 1, 2022 / Dave Taylor / Apple iPad Help, iPhone & iOS Help / No Comments

I work in a hospital and we have to wear face masks all the time. I understand that the latest iOS update from Apple includes the ability to unlock my iPhone without taking off my mask. That would be a godsend! How can I get that set up?

If there’s one thing that the last few years have taught us, it’s how to wear a face mask and attempt to be comfortable with it during our daily activities. From plane rides to taxis, classrooms to the grocery store, those ubiquitous little masks have been on our faces quite a bit. This has proven to be a great problem for devices that scan your face, compare it to a saved face, and unlock your phone if they match, as you can imagine.

Fortunately, though it’s taken rather a while for Apple to deliver, the latest update to Apple’s iOS 15 operating system for the iPhone and iPad lineup (iOS 15.4 and above) now lets you use FaceID to unlock your phone with your mask on! You do, however, have to set it all up…

FIND FACE ID SETTINGS ON YOUR IPHONE

Start the process by going into Settings and searching for “face”:

iphone ios15 - unlock faceid with covid mask - settings

You want the match with the cheery green smiley icon: “Face ID & Passcode“. Tap on it.

iphone ios15 - unlock faceid with covid mask - set up with mask

You can see all the different options – I rely on it pretty heavily as you can see – but most importantly, notice the new option in the middle: “Face ID with a Mask”. That’s what you want!

HOW TO SET UP FACE ID WITH A MASK

Tap on the “on/off” switch adjacent to “Face ID with a Mask” and a new window pops up:

iphone ios15 - unlock faceid with covid mask - set up: are you sure?

I actually really like the addition of the mask to the icon, a surprising touch of whimsy for Apple! To proceed, no surprise, tap on “Use Face ID with a mask”.

Now it’s time to re-scan your face — without your mask on! — for the system:

iphone ios15 - unlock faceid with covid mask - ready to scan

Easy enough. Make sure your face is well-lit, and tap on “Get Started“.

HOW TO SCAN YOUR FACE FOR FACE ID

Now you’ll be prompted to sort of roll your face around while holding your phone steady…

iphone ios15 - unlock faceid with covid mask - scanning face

Once you’re done, the green edge will populate the entire circle. This process takes around 30 seconds, then you’ll get this prompt:

iphone ios15 - unlock faceid with covid mask - face id setup

Done!

UNLOCKING YOUR IPHONE WITH A FACE MASK ON

Now you’ll find that it just works. For example, I took a quick selfie with the phone locked…

dave taylor selfie with covid surgical mask on photo

Then I went back to the lock screen. Do ya see the padlock?

iphone lock screen - padlock unlocked - face id with mask on

I expect that you too will find this a huge improvement to your iPhone user experience while wearing your mask.

Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about the iPhone and iOS since the very first iPhone was released. I’ve also owned every major iPhone model! Please check out my iPhone help articles while you’re visiting. Thanks!

About the Author: Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since the early days of the Internet. Author of over 20 technical books, he runs the popular AskDaveTaylor.com tech help site. You can also find his gadget reviews on YouTube and chat with him on Twitter as @DaveTaylor.

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Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
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