iOS 15.4 beta adds Face ID use with a mask for iPhone 12 and newer, without needing Apple Watch authentication, by recognizing “unique features around the eye”
how to get it Christine Chan / iMore : Apple has released the first public beta for iPadOS 15.4 The Verge : How to install the iOS 15.4 public beta Eric Abent / SlashGear : Face ID with mask support arrives in iOS 15.4 beta Brad Linder / Liliputing : Lilbits: Pixel 6a confirmed (sort of), USB-C charging comes to power tools, and Face ID works with face masks now Daniel Cooper / Engadget : The Morning After: Latest iOS beta supports FaceID with a mask Oliver Haslam / Redmond Pie : iOS 15.4 Lets You Add Notes To iCloud Keychain Passwords ANI / Livemint : iPhone users may soon be able to use Face ID while wearing a mask David Becker / Appleosophy : iOS 15.4 beta 1 brings cool new features to iPhone Evan Selleck / iDownloadBlog.com : Using Face ID while wearing a mask with iOS 15.4 also works with Apple Pay Jenny Zheng / GameSpot : iOS 15.4 Beta Adds Support For PS5 DualSense Controller's Adaptive Triggers Joe Rice-Jones / KnowTechie : Apple's Universal Control is finally here to make multitasking a breeze Mahmoud Itani / XDA Developers : Here's everything new in iOS 15.4 beta 1: New emoji, Keychain updates, and more Tweets: Brandon Butch / @brandonbutch : Well this is new (iOS 15.4 Beta 1) [picture of iPhone with an option to use FaceID with a mask] Federico Viticci / @viticci : Holy wow Universal Control is incredible. This is me moving between a MacBook Pro, an iPad mini, and an iPad Pro using just the MacBook trackpad and keyboard. It's aware of position, lets you drag files, and supports iPadOS gestures. The hype was real and it all just works 🤯 https://twitter.com/... Federico Viticci / @viticci : Big news for EU citizens: iOS 15.4 will bring support for adding EU Digital COVID Certificates in the Health and Wallet apps. I tested my Italian vaccination record and it worked with Health. Not in Wallet yet. These will show up under Immunization records in the Health app. 💉 https://twitter.com/... Chance Miller / @chancehmiller : Some early thoughts on Universal Control. TL;DR it's incredible https://twitter.com/... Sebastiaan de With / @sdw : iOS 15.4 beta has a new ‘Use Face ID with a Mask’ option and the masked FaceID icon is absolutely adorable. https://twitter.com/... Niko Stratis / @nikostratis : tech that will undoubtedly be used to surveil and arrest people who cover their faces for other reasons is not adorable. We have to stop thinking the heel of the boot is cute. https://twitter.com/... Jeff Nolan / @jeffnolan : nice. I bought a Logitech keyboard that can switch between devices. Universal Control is a nice feature add https://twitter.com/... Federico Viticci / @viticci : iOS 15.4 beta adds support for Face ID unlocking with a mask on. This worked right away for me and it's amazing. Details: - You can enable it after the update or in Settings later - You can add support for glasses while wearing masks - No support for sunglasses with a mask on https://t.co/lzjJ30i5wF @tailosivetech : I think this is 1st time we've seen newer versions of Face ID allow for stuff previous versions couldn't do 🧐 Do you think they're artificially limiting older iPhones? https://twitter.com/... Benjamin Mayo / @bzamayo : how it started ... how it's going [Touch ID icon without mask, Touch ID icon with mask] Brandon Butch / @brandonbutch : Not only can you set up Face ID to be used with a mask, but also with glasses! (iOS 15.4 Beta 1) https://twitter.com/... Rene Ritchie / @reneritchie : Yesterday: Apple's a jerk that keeps Sherlock'ing other apps! Today: Apple's a jerk that won't give us a Keychain Password app! Humans are wonderful, whimsical creatures that insist we're intellectually consistent despite all constant evidence to the contrary... Mark Gurman / @markgurman : @rmondello Shouldn't there be a standalone Passwords app rather than just a section buried in settings? Stephen Robles / @stephenrobles : Nice! One step closer to using iCloud Keychain for passwords and secure notes full time: https://twitter.com/... Max Weinbach / @maxwinebach : Universal Control is super cool. Just playing with it on my mac and ipad Sami Fathi / @samifathi_ : In case anyone is wondering, Face ID with mask allows for Apple Pay in iOS 15.4 beta 1. Apple Watch unlock previously didn't Ian Zelbo / @rendersbyian : @jon_prosser For people saying it's not new hardware. The original story referred to new iPhone 13 Face ID hardware being tested. It actually is new hardware (the combined dot projector and flood illuminator). Jon Prosser / @jon_prosser : Totally forgot that I leaked this 😂 https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... Joe Rossignol / @rsgnl : Apple in Q4 2000: $195 million loss “It's not something I'm proud of,” said Steve Jobs. Apple in Q4 2021: $34.6 billion profit I think he would be pretty proud. Sami Fathi / @samifathi_ : This feels like an indirect message that we're never going to get Touch ID + Face ID combo on an iPhone. https://twitter.com/... Tom Warren / @tomwarren : wait Apple added an emoji of me, a troll, in iOS 15.4. Thanks Apple https://twitter.com/... Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane : trying out iOS 15.4 beta, this has got to be the best feature apple has ever made [picture of password fill option from Messages] @sarthakgh : why apple made 124 billion in a quarter and you didn't [picture of password fill option from Messages] Tom Warren / @tomwarren : iOS 15.4 beta 1 includes support for Sony's DualSense adaptive trigger firmware features 🙏 there's also Face ID with a mask, new emoji, and Universal Control. Sounds like I'm about to install an iOS beta on my phone https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/... M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : This is both fantastic and incredibly depressing. 😷📲 https://twitter.com/... Harry McCracken / @harrymccracken : Thank goodness, although I hope this is not going to be all that important for all that long. https://t.co/9L9hRkIdZp
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had first adjusted Face ID’s mask behavior in iOS 13.5, then made mask-era unlocking workable through an Apple Watch-assisted unlock in iOS 14.5. The iOS 15.4 beta changes that progression by moving the recognition decision onto supported iPhones rather than requiring a companion wearable.
The related coverage subsequently records the feature’s release in iOS 15.4, making the beta the transition from workaround to a native Face ID option for iPhone 12 and newer owners.
First-order effects
- iPhone 12 and newer users can test Face ID unlocking and Apple Pay authentication while masked without owning or wearing an Apple Watch.
- Apple Watch loses its role as the required accessory for mask-era Face ID unlocking on eligible iPhones, while Apple broadens the practical use of Face ID on those phones.
Second-order effects
- Apple’s supported-device boundary gives iPhone 12 and newer owners a convenience feature that older iPhone owners do not receive, reinforcing the value of newer hardware within the iPhone base.
- Apple Pay becomes less dependent on a user changing authentication habits when masked, because the same on-phone Face ID flow can handle payment approval.
Third-order effects
- The shift points toward access control that adapts biometric matching to changing real-world conditions rather than routing around them through a second device.
- If Apple continues to make on-device recognition resilient to partial facial obstruction, companion-device authentication becomes a fallback rather than the primary answer for identity checks.
The trend: Consumer biometrics are moving from fixed-condition face matching toward more context-tolerant, device-native proof of personhood.