iOS 15.4 update: How to set up Face ID while wearing a face mask and glasses

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple has finally released an iOS update that allows Face ID users to unlock their iPhones without removing their masks. The new features are some of the highlights of the iOS 15.4 released on Tuesday.

Before setting up the Face ID to recognize users even when wearing face masks, iPhones need to be updated to iOS 15.4. While the Face ID technology was implemented starting with iPhone X, an Apple support page notes that this feature will only work “on iPhone 12 and later.”

Once supported iPhones are updated to iOS 15.4, users can open Settings and proceed to the Face ID & Passcode menu. As usual, they will have to enter their Passcode first before opening the menu. Following the update, they should now find a new toggle for “Face ID with a Mask.”

Upon enabling the feature, a new page will open where users will have to tap the “Use Face ID with a Mask” option. This will prompt another face scan by tapping on the Get Started button.

During the scan, Apple Support says users do not have to be wearing a mask and they will be asked to move their head around since Face ID will use “unique points” around the users' eyes to be able to identify when they are wearing a mask.

That means that if they wear their mask too close to their eyes, Face ID might not unlock their iPhone. On the same Apple support page, the company says, “This feature requires your eyes to be unblocked.” Meanwhile, users who cannot move their heads can use the Accessibility Options button at the bottom of the face scan page.

Apple has also improved Face ID functions for users wearing glasses. After the iOS 15.4 update, a new “Add Glasses” option should appear. This will allow them to input up to four pairs of glasses with uniquely shaped frames.

The option to unlock with Face ID while wearing a mask has been one of the top requested updates since the start of the pandemic. But Apple noted that the update will not replace an earlier feature that allowed Face ID users to unlock their devices through a paired Apple Watch.