COVID-19 Pandemic Prompts Apple to Enhance Security Features, iPhone Face ID Now Unlocks While Wearing Face Mask

One of the day-to-day struggles of many iPhone users during the COVID-19 pandemic is unlocking their phones. Facemasks have made it difficult to use facial recognition to unlock their iPhones, a feature that sets iPhones apart.

iOS 15.4 has been in the beta phase prior to its full launch, together with the new Apple emojis, a fifth gender-neutral voice for Siri, Apple smartphone users can now unlock their phones with ease even when wearing their facemasks.

Unlocking iPhones While Wearing Facemasks; a Long-Awaited Update

According to Apple's press release, iOS 15.4 will now offer Face ID while users wear masks, a new voice option for Siri, new emojis, Visual Lookup expanded language support and so much more. The update set to launch next week will coincide with the release of the anticipated iPhone 13, with new models preloaded with iOS 15.4.

Although the exact release date for the update hasn't been released yet, The Verge suggests that it may become available on March 18th, the same day the new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro become available.

The mask-friendly Face ID update has reportedly worked incredibly well during the beta phase, allowing users to unlock their phones while wearing their face masks. Previously, Apple has tried to address the prominent issue users encountered when wearing masks by creating a bypass Face ID feature that verifies the user's identity via Apple Watch. The new iOS 15.4 update should make the process of unlocking iPhones much smoother while wearing masks.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, face masks are still a reality for everyone across the globe. It's one of the best ways to keep yourself and the people around you safe from the virus' threat. This is why Apple's recent update is sure to help people keep their masks on throughout the day, and minimize instances of removing their masks in crowded places simply to unlock phones.

Gender-Neutral Siri Voice, New Emojis, and More

Other than the much-awaited Face ID update, the iOS 15.4 also comes with a new gender-neutral voice for Siri, called Quinn, reports DailyMail.

For those that enjoy contactless payments, iOS 15.4 also includes a new Tap to Pay feature that turns compatible iPhones into terminals for easy contactless payments. This could also mean that more merchants will be seen using their iPhones as a digital cash register, which could also potentially replace Square's car readers the plug into iPhones.

A new safety feature for Apple AirTags addresses the numerous reports of the item-tracking device being used for stalking since its initial launch. The update now includes notification warning users of AirTags to track people without their consent.

36 new emojis are also set to spice up users' messages, including a person peering through fingers, a melting face, an awkward biting lip emoji that developers believe would achieve the same notoriety as the well-known eggplant emoji.