The first iOS 15.4 beta went out to the developer community, and appears to offer an option to enable Face ID when wearing a mask without the need to have an Apple Watch. What’s even better about this feature is that it works with Apple Pay and even apps.
The “Use Face ID With a Mask” option lets users rescan their faces to unlock the iPhone when wearing a mask. While this was already possible for users who own an Apple Watch, there are some differences between the two options.
Aside from the most obvious difference, which is not needing an Apple Watch paired to the iPhone, the new Face ID unlock when wearing a mask included with iOS 15.4 works system-wide.
Users will also be able to authenticate with Apple Pay and log into third-party apps with Face ID enabled when wearing a mask, something that’s not currently possible with the Unlock with Apple Watch option – which only unlocks the phone and nothing else. Even Safari’s AutoFill works with the new unlock when wearing a mask in the iOS 15.4 beta.
The iOS 15.4 beta is now available for developers, while the official release is expected this spring.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via 9to5Mac