Soon it will be easier to unlock your iPhone while adhering to the health advisory to wear a face mask outside during a coronavirus pandemic. Apple has just released a new iOS 13 developer beta that addresses the annoyance of using Face ID with the face covered.

Normally, unlocking an iPhone with Face ID (basically every iPhone model since the iPhone X except the iPhone SE 2020) is as simple as glancing at the screen and letting the built-in face unlock function do the work. However, if you wear a face mask (as you probably should these days when out in public), the iPhone will not unlock. Instead, you have to swipe up to get to the screen where you enter the passcode.

The problem with Face ID and face masks stems from how secure Apple's face unlock technology is. The TrueDepth camera on the front of the phone uses a 3D map of your face to recognize that you are, in fact, you. If the camera cannot see your mouth and chin, Face ID will not work.

The iOS 13.5 update currently available for developers does not resolve this issue, but provides a quicker workaround. If you try to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask, instead of Face ID trying to recognize your face again, swiping up will take you straight to the passcode screen. iPhone users have experienced this without compromising the security of Face ID. without compromising the security of Face ID.

In addition to unlocking the phone, the simple passcode screen also appears when purchases in the App Store, iTunes, or Apple Books need to be authenticated. It also works with Apple Pay and other apps that support Face ID.

This is not the only COVID-19-inspired feature coming in iOS 13.5. The new beta also includes an exposure notification API as part of the COVID-19 contact tracing effort that Apple is developing with Google. Public developers will have access to this API so they can provide feedback before the Bluetooth-based notification system rolls out in mid-May.

In addition, iOS 13.5 includes a new feature for group FaceTime that allows users to control automatic prominence during group chats. This means that the video tile no longer changes size based on who is speaking. Instead, video tiles will be laid out as they are now and can be made larger by tapping on the tile. This feature will definitely come in handy in group chats, which are increasing as we practice social distance.

With this third beta of iOS 13.5 now in the hands of developers, the update still needs to go through the public beta process. A full public release will follow.