Face ID Will Soon Work With a Mask--If You Have an Apple Watch

Apple is facing our face-masked future. This week, the company started testing some new software for the iPhone that will let device owners unlock the handset while wearing a face covering. There's a catch though, one that lines up with Apple's strategy of locking people in to different Apple products and highlights how challenging it can be to develop accurate facial recognition technology: The new face-unlock feature requires an Apple Watch. The first developer beta of iOS 14.5 includes updates to app tracking controls and Siri alongside the face-mask function. App-makers typically get early access to the newest version of iOS in order to launch or retool their apps well in advance of the formal software release. The fully-baked version of the software is expected to be made available to the general public this spring.