The latest iOS 13.5 beta includes a new lock screen authentication feature that makes it easier to unlock the smartphone while wearing a face mask.
Instead of repeatedly failing to identify your face while wearing a mask via Face ID, iOS now allows users to access the manual passcode authentication option with a single swipe up on the home screen. The feature is currently only available in beta but will likely eventually be released to the public.
Though Face ID is generally accurate, I run into roughly one to two Face ID authentication failures a day, especially if I’m wearing a hat or my glasses.
As pointed out by @Sonikku_a2, if you’re wearing a mask, iOS 13.5 goes straight to the passcode screen if you try to unlock with Face ID (keypad not shown because iOS hides it in screen recordings) pic.twitter.com/bQCzu5u20p
— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) April 29, 2020
Even with the COVID-19 pandemic aside, this is a useful and welcome change to iOS since it makes logging into your iPhone a quicker process after repeated failed Face ID authentications.
Previously it could take several failed authentications and up to 10 to 15 seconds before being able to access the passcode entry screen.
Apple has also added a new setting that allows users to disable the FaceTime video feature that makes the active speaker’s window grow more prominent when they’re talking.
Both of these features will likely make it to the public release of the new version of iOS 13 in the coming weeks. Face ID is featured in the iPhone X, iPhone XS series and iPhone 11 series.
Twitter: @Sonikku_a2, @_inside Via: Techcrunch
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