How to unlock iPhone when wearing a mask with iOS 15.4

iOS 15.4 allows to open Face ID on iPhone even when wearing a mask. The following article will show you how to easily open your iPhone on the latest iOS 15 without… taking off your mask.

Previously, Apple supported opening FaceID without removing the mask, but with the condition that you must own an Apple Watch. But from iOS 15.4, you can completely unlock iPhone directly even while wearing a mask on your face. However, this feature is only supported on iPhone 12 and 13 models; including iPhone 12‌, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max.

How to set up Face ID with a mask

First, update your iPhone to iOS 15.4, which supports the new Face ID feature.

When you restart your iPhone after installing a new iOS update, it will invite you to set up a new Face ID. If not, you can do it manually as follows:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and select Face ID & Passcode. You will have to manually enter the passcode.
2. Turn on Use Face ID With a Mask, then select Use Face ID With a Mask.
3. Scanning your face is similar to setting up regular Face ID. You do not need to wear a mask in this step because the feature only scans the eyes.

If you often wear glasses, go back to Face ID & Passcode and select Add Glasses. This feature will save scanned images with glasses, allowing FaceID to be opened even when wearing masks and glasses. If there are different glasses, scan each one so that Face ID recognizes each pair of glasses.

Jessica Tanner

Update 05 February 2022