Photo: MacRumors

Everyone loves a new phone feature, but one that has felt almost necessary is Apple’s latest IOS 15.4 update. Inspired by the pandemic, the new update will allow Face ID to scan your face and unlock your phone without pulling down your mask.

On Thursday, Apple announced that with the launch of IOS 15.4 comes a few updates—like new emojis and the useful ability to “recognize the unique features around the eye,” which is good news for pretty much everyone. Because this is only the beta version and demands more resources, the update will be limited to the iPhone 12 or newer. Last year Apple released the ability to unlock your iPhone with an Apple Watch passcode so this feature still exists for older iPhones. 

The way to set this up is the same as how you would set up regular face ID, just with an extra step. Simply head to Settings, and then click on Face ID & Passcode. Then, click “Use Face ID With a Mask” and go through the same steps you did for Face ID, and voila! Furthermore, the option to add glasses is there as well.

Once you have enabled the updated Face ID option you will be able to not only use it for opening your phone but also for Apple Pay and third-party apps. Since the feature uses the area around the eyes you are still able to use your glasses; however, most sunglasses won’t work with this feature. Apple explains: “Using Face ID while wearing a mask works best when it’s set up to recognize each pair of glasses you wear regularly. Face ID with a mask doesn’t support sunglasses.” 

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