Face ID utilizes facial recognition technology to scan your face and verify your identity. When activated, the feature uses the front-facing camera, or selfie cam, to securely authenticate you are the owner of the iPhone. During the pandemic, Face ID received a lot of scrutiny for not functioning correctly, and it simply did not work whenever you were wearing your mask and attempted to unlock your iPhone. Before that realization, I'm sure you also noticed Face ID was much slower at unlocking your device when compared to its predecessor, Touch ID. Implementing this innovative and seemingly secure way of unlocking your precious iPhone was nothing short of a disaster.

Apple has confirmed it will roll out iOS 15.4 next week. One especially useful feature that'll hit iPhones in the coming days is another way to unlock your device with Face ID while wearing a mask. You'll no longer need an Apple Watch to unlock your phone without removing your mask or punching in your passcode. Apple has been testing the feature in public betas since January. You'll need to activate it manually in the Face ID & Passcode section of Settings.

Nearly two years since the Covid pandemic started, Apple is finally letting iPhone users unlock their iPhone with Face ID when wearing a face mask. Face ID, Apple's facial recognition system, has reportedly received the all-important update as part of iOS 15.4, which is now going through beta testing. Florida-based iOS user Brandon Butch, one of the early testers, has posted screenshots of the new feature to Twitter. It seems iPhone users have the option to turn the tool on and off, although Apple says Face ID is more effective while being able to see the entire face. Since the start of the pandemic, getting Face ID to automatically recognise our face to unlock our iPhones has been a bugbear as we've had masks over our faces.

Apple launched the first developer beta for iOS 15.4, which provides an opportunity to test upcoming features planned for the iPhone. Among them is the ability to use Face ID while wearing a mask. Currently, the only way to unlock iPhones with Face ID and a mask on involves owning an Apple Watch. The iPhone has an option to unlock the phone with Apple Watch. Once enabled, users wake their iPhone then glance at the screen to unlock it.

Just a few days after rolling out iOS 15.3, Apple has released the latest iOS developer beta. Among the new features is one that'll come in very handy for unlocking your iPhone while you're out and about in the current climate. The company is testing a way for folks to use Face ID while they're wearing a mask -- without needing an Apple Watch. "Face ID is most accurate when it's set up for full-face recognition only," Apple explains when users set up the feature. "To use Face ID while wearing a mask, iPhone can recognize the unique features around the eye to authenticate."

You lock your phone so other people can't access it. But how you lock your phone is an important factor in whether law enforcement can compel you to unlock it. Apple's year-old Face ID system is no exception. On Sunday, Forbes reported the first known example of law enforcement anywhere using a suspect's face to unlock a phone during an investigation. The question of whether cops can force someone to unlock their phone in the US for a search hinges on Fifth Amendment protects against self-incrimination--that no one "shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against" themselves. Privacy advocates argue that this extends to the act of unlocking a phone, or generally decrypting data on a device.

A collaboration between University of California-Berkeley professor Stuart Russell and the Future of Life Institute that shows a future in which palm-sized, autonomous drones use facial recognition technology and on-board explosives to commit untraceable massacres. The film is the researchers' latest attempt to build support for a global ban on autonomous weapon systems, which kill without meaningful human control. The film is a sensationalistic turn in the approaches autonomous weapons critics have used to push for a ban.

Face ID on the iPhone X is helpful for authorizing a purchase for yourself, but don't expect to use it if you're approving a purchase for your kids. Numerous owners have discovered that the face authentication feature doesn't work for family purchases (that is, where a family member asks you to buy apps or music on their behalf) like Touch ID does on earlier iPhones. It's not a tremendous pain, but you probably won't relish the thought of punching in your password every time your little ones want a new game for their iPads. We've asked Apple if it can elaborate on why Face ID doesn't work in these situations. Is it a security decision, a lack of time to add the feature or something else?

It's safe to assume that the face recognition system in the iPhone X will eventually reach other devices, but which ones are next in line? The historically accurate analyst expects the next generation of the iPad Pro to adopt the TrueDepth camera and, by extension, Face ID. This would unify the experience across Apple's mobile devices, the analyst says, and would spur developers knowing that they could use face recognition across multiple Apple devices, not just one handset. The new iPads would ship sometime in Apple's fiscal 2018, which ends in September of next year. There's another question to be answered: if this happens, will the Touch ID fingerprint reader go away?

The iPhone X might be the future of Apple's smartphone design, but its lauded Face ID facial recognition system has an issue with people under 13: it's much more difficult to tell them apart. In a security guide published Wednesday, Apple recommends that children under the age of 13 do not use Face ID due to the probability of a false match being significantly higher for young children. The company said this was because "their distinct facial features may not have fully developed". While few young children are likely to be given a £999 iPhone, false matches are also more likely for twins and siblings. In all those situations, the company recommends concerned users disable Face ID and use a passcode instead.