“Apple is testing new version of Face ID that just works if you wear a face mask”

Face masks threw a lot of spanner in the works for iPhone users who unlock their phone with Face ID last year. Apple knows this and is working on a fix.

Mouth cap on, Face ID on

Face ID will work in the future if you wear a mouth cap, says well-known tasty Jon Prosser. He got his hands on images and videos of about 75 prototypes. He had a render made based on the footage. The render shows a Face ID module on top of an iPhone 12.

According to Front Page Tech the tested Face ID module is arranged differently than the current Face ID and the sensors appear to be closer together. For example, on the left we see the selfie camera, while the selfie camera of the iPhone 12 can be found on the right.

Apple uses unrecognizable test units to minimize leaks of new iPhone designs. Tests are being done on a large scale with and without a mouth cap. Different environments and lighting conditions are also tested.

Prosser’s sources don’t know if the new feature is already on the iPhone 13. The leak does state that Apple used ‘iPhone 13 technology’ while testing the new Face ID sensors. Of course, we hope so, since the iPhone 13 will be released in September.

Apple Watch no longer needed

Face ID already works on current iPhones in combination with a mouth cap, provided the user wears an Apple Watch. This works as follows: the iPhone communicates with the Apple Watch and knows that the iPhone is in good hands.

However, a lot of iPhone users don’t wear an Apple Watch. For them, unlocking with a mask on is very annoying, as the access code has to be re-entered constantly.

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