New Face ID feature requires iPhone 12 or newer

The 15.4 Public Beta 1, released on January 27, brought the much asked for feature wherein users will be able to use the highly convenient Face ID unlock to access their phone while keeping their masks on.

Most people have been asking for the ability to use Face ID throughout this pandemic instead of having to input a 6 digit pin or long password. Apple had earlier allowed for a ‘Unlock with Apple Watch’ function to overcome the limitation of the mask on the unlocking method, but this so-called solution did require buying another device at a minimum of $300.

Now, Apple’s beta users report Apple has a new feature designed to allow Face ID to be used with a mask and without an Apple Watch for authentication. This move ignited conversation across the internet, as the public release of the iOS 15.3 a day earlier seemed to only target bug fixes instead of bringing in any of the features promised by Apple during their October Keynote last year.

However, according to MacRumors, the feature is limited to some of Apple’s newest iPhones, even though Face ID has been available since 2017 with the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ X. As noted on our forums, Face ID with a Mask is only an option on the ‌iPhone 12‌ and later, so you’ll need an ‌iPhone 12‌, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max or an iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, or 13 Pro Max.

There is no clear-cut distinction between the hardware capabilities of the earlier iPhone models and the 12/13 series that one can use to justify the apparent lack of feature parity. Moreover, Apple warns in the Settings app that facial recognition is “most accurate” when it’s set up for full-face recognition only.