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iPhone how to use Face ID with mask

iPhone: How to improve Face ID with a mask, including Apple Watch Unlock feature

Wearing a face mask usually renders iPhone’s Face ID unusable. Even though it sounds like a first-world problem, there are a lot of people, including medical professionals, who would value Face ID on iPhone to work while wearing protective equipment. Read on for how to use Face ID with a mask including the option to unlock your iPhone with Apple Watch when Face ID detects you’re wearing a mask.


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Apple wins patent for in-screen Touch ID and Face ID

Patent for in-screen Touch ID and Face ID

Early rumors about the iPhone 14 suggest that Apple plans to lose the notch next year, with in-screen Touch ID or Face ID two possible ways to achieve this. A patent granted today describes how both forms of biometric authentication could be embedded into the display.

It would even be possible to embed the front-facing camera into the screen, though this is likely to be a later development…

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Comment: Moving beyond passwords will happen much faster thanks to Apple’s latest move

Moving beyond passwords

I’ve argued for years that moving beyond passwords is something that urgently needs to happen from both a security and usability perspective.

The technical framework to make it possible to abandon passwords – WebAuthn – was agreed back in 2018, and Apple added support for it in Safari last year. Adoption is as yet close to zero, but all that looks set to change, thanks to the latest move by Apple …

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Apple opens testing for passwordless Face ID future with ‘passkeys in iCloud Keychain’ preview

In the years ahead, passwords, as we know them, will become a thing of the past. However, that change won’t happen overnight and will take a concerted effort from lots of different parties, including the major tech giants. At WWDC, Apple announced how it’s moving toward a more secure and easy-to-use passwordless authentication powered by WebAuthn and Face ID/Touch ID with the preview of passkeys in iCloud Keychain.

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Another Apple patent application for under-screen Touch ID, using reflected light

Will iPhone 13 offer under-screen Touch ID

There have been multiple suggestions that Apple plans to adopt under-screen Touch ID for the iPhone 13, given that masks have greatly reduced the usefulness of Face ID. The company already has a bunch of patents for different ways to pull this off, and has today applied for an interesting new one.

Apple explains that optical fingerprint reading can be unreliable for two reasons, and explains how it would address these …

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Face ID for Mac ‘developed’ by Apple but not coming soon; 5G same

We’ve long expected Apple to offer Face ID for Mac models, just as it does for the iPhone and iPad Pro. Bloomberg’s report on an upcoming higher-end MacBook Air has a mix of good and bad news on this front.

Another feature some have long wanted for MacBooks is the ability to connect to mobile data directly when Wi-Fi isn’t available. The report says the position is the same for both features: They are coming, but not soon …

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Another report of smaller notch in this year’s iPhones; sensor-shift OIS, too

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A new report today echoes earlier ones that this year’s iPhones – possibly named the iPhone 12S – will have a smaller notch.

We’re expecting the design of this year’s models to be very similar to the iPhone 12, but a MacOtakara report earlier in the month suggested that Apple would manage to shrink the screen notch …

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Apple surveys iPhone users on Face ID opinions, USB cable in the box

Earlier this year, before the announcement of the iPhone 12, Apple surveyed some users about how they use the USB power adapter that used to come in the iPhone box. The company is once again asking for the opinion of its consumers, this time to find out if iPhone users are unsatisfied with Face ID and if they use the USB cable that comes with every iPhone.

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Comment: As face recognition bans grow, care is needed by legislators

Face recognition bans growing

We’re seeing a growing number of face recognition bans introduced around the world as local and national legislators respond to growing public unease over the privacy implications.

We’ve seen bans on public agencies or police departments using face recognition technology, and now one US city has gone even further, extending a ban to private companies too …

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Exclusive: Want Face ID on the Mac? macOS Big Sur suggests the TrueDepth camera is coming

Some iPhone and iPad models feature Face ID, which allows users to unlock the device through advanced facial recognition. While Face ID is not yet available on any Mac, 9to5Mac found references to the TrueDepth camera on macOS Big Sur, which suggests Apple is working to bring facial recognition to its computers.


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iPhone how to change passcode, skip Face ID, more

iPhone: How to change passcode, skip Face ID to enter passcode, more

With Apple’s iPhones that rely on Face ID for security, the pandemic has created a clunkier experience since masks create problems with facial recognition. Since most users have to enter their passcode every time they unlock their iPhones, follow along for how to change your passcode to a shorter one, skip right from Face ID to enter your passcode, and some other tips and tricks.


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