Only for unlocking features… Not available for payment
▲ iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 on display at Apple stores in Shanghai, China. Shanghai/Reuters Yonhap News
In the future, you will be able to unlock the iPhone using Face ID (face recognition) while wearing a mask. Apple announced an iOS update that added the feature.
According to CNN broadcast on the 2nd (local time), Apple has released beta versions of iOS 14.5 and iPad OS 14.5 developers so that they can unlock with face recognition even when wearing a mask. According to the update, users can use Face ID to unlock the screen even if they are wearing a mask with both their mouth and nose covered.
This feature can only be used by selecting’Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch’ in iPhone settings. Users must wear an authenticated Apple Watch, and the distance between devices must be close.
However, for security reasons, the update only applies to unlocking. When paying for Apple Pay, App Store, or iTunes, you cannot wear a mask and use Face ID. This update is to encourage the wearing of a mask in response to the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) pandemic (a global pandemic), and is a factor that will induce iPhone customers to purchase Apple Watch or use it more often.
IPhone users using iPhone X or later versions could not use Face ID while wearing a mask, so they had to enter a password or set an alternate appearance to use Face ID. For this reason, it is expected that Apple will introduce Touch ID (fingerprint recognition) to the iPhone 12S to be released this year along with the iOS update.