Apple tweaks Face ID to bypass facial masks during coronavirus pandemic

An unforeseen surge in the number of people wearing face masks has prompted Apple to change the way its facial recognition unlock system works.

Apple is updating its operating system to make it quicker to bypass the Face ID system to unlock your iPhone after a surge in people wearing facial masks to defend against coronavirus.

Apple introduced the Face ID unlock system in 2017’s iPhone X.

Previously the iPhone had the biometrics unlock Touch ID, that used a scan of your fingerprint to unlock your phone.

After the physical home button was deleted on the iPhone X to facilitate a full-screen display, Apple needed to find another way for users to get into their phones.

Some Android manufacturers faced with a similar dilemma have embedded fingerprint scanners under the screens, but these can be handicapped by things like screen protectors.

Face ID has been on Apple’s iPhones since 2017.

Apple instead opted to develop the Face ID unlock system, which uses a number of sensors to create a depth map of your face.

That map is then converted into mathematical data the phone can understand.

Apple says all that info is then held in a secure partition on your phone and never uploaded to servers.

Some choose not to use Face ID and instead stick to a passcode lock, whether it’s for privacy or security.

Journalists at some outlets have also been told not to use the Face ID unlock system in case they’re raided by authorities who could unlock their phone by holding it in front of their face, though Face ID needs to see your eyes to work (unlike facial unlocks on some Android phones, which can also be fooled with a picture of you shown off another phone).

Phones can now scan your face before unlocking. Picture: iStock

Apple claims it has designed Face ID to work with hats, scarves, glasses, contact lenses, and many sunglasses — indoors, outdoors, and “even in total darkness”.

Unfortunately, Face ID has trouble with the facial masks many people are now wearing as a precaution against coronavirus.

Beta testers have noticed the next iOS update contains a feature that can recognise if you’re wearing a face mask and take you straight to the passcode unlock keyboard.

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

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Ordinarily Face ID makes several attempts to scan your face before letting you input your six-number passcode.

The change appears aimed at making the unlock process faster for mask wearers.

The city of New York has started handing out free masks. Picture: Spencer Platt / Getty Images / AFP

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Wearing masks is being encouraged and in some countries has been made mandatory for anyone leaving their homes.

It’s yet to be confirmed when the change will come in but at the moment looks to come in the next iOS update.

Beta testers also spotted lines related to the use of Bluetooth for contact tracing.

“iPhone is using Bluetooth to securely share your random IDs with nearby devices and collect their IDs. This enables an app to notify you if you may have been exposed to COVID-19,” reads a toggle seen by beta testers.

COVID-19 Exposure Notifications

iPhone is using Bluetooth to securely share your random IDs with nearby devices and collect their IDs. This enables an app to notify you if you may have been exposed to COVID-19. @Apple#portugal #iPhone #apple #covid19 #COVID19PT #iOS13 pic.twitter.com/3hacrp6WNQ

— Ricardo Saraiva (@ricardojsaraiva) April 30, 2020

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The Australian government’s COVIDSafe app, downloaded more than four million times in its first week of being available, uses Bluetooth “handshakes” to trace contact in coronavirus cases.

The app doesn’t work as well on iPhones, which is believed to be due to security and privacy features in iOS, though the next update appears to address that by letting you authorise apps to collect and share the data.