How to skip FaceID on your iPhone when wearing a mask

Apple has released the latest version of iOS to developers, and there aren’t many new features outside of a few surrounding COVID-19. With iOS 13.5 beta 3, there is a new API which was created by Apple and Google which works to let you know if you have been exposed to the virus.

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Here’s a quick explanation of how it works from Apple:

iPhone is using Bluetooth to securely share your random IDs with nearby devices and collect their IDs. This enables an app to notify you if you may have been exposed to COVID-19. Random IDs are deleted after 14 days.
Apps you authorize can notify you if you’re exposed to COVID-19. You can also choose to anonymously share your COVID-19 diagnosis.

But this update also makes it easier to bypass FaceID on your iPhone if you happen to be wearing a mask. Since you have to have a passcode created when setting up FaceID, your iPhone will default to the passcode being used.

How to skip FaceID when wearing a mask

It should not come as much of a surprise, but Apple has enabled these new features by default on your iPhone. That means that your iPhone will recognize much quicker whether your face is being covered by a mask or not. Before iOS 13.5, the FaceID scanner would take a couple of scans before defaulting to your passcode.

The process as a whole has been rather frustrating, but with the latest beta, you can simply swipe up to unlock. After you’ve swiped up, your iPhone will automatically take you to the lock screen where you can enter your passcode. When wearing a mask, raise your iPhone as you normally would, while swiping up as if you were unlocking the phone with FaceID. The passcode entry will immediately be shown, giving you faster access to get into your phone.

How to opt out of the new COVID-19 notifications in iOS

As we mentioned above, Apple and Google have joined together to help let the public know if they’ve come in contact with someone who has been affected by COVID-19. The Exposure Notifications are designed to take advantage of a unique API that apps from health authorities can take advantage of.

While there is no personal information shared with the apps that may use the API, there are some that will want to opt out of this. Here’s how you can do so from your iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and select Privacy.
3. Tap Health.
4. Select COVID-19 Exposure Notifications.
5. Tap the toggle to turn the notifications to the Off position.

We hope that you find this feature useful in these times. Hopefully, Apple will be releasing iOS 13.5 soon so that all of us can take advantage of this feature.

Andrew is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US.

He has written for a variety of sites over the years, including iMore, Android Central, Phandroid, and a few others. Now, he spends his days working for an HVAC company, while moonlighting as a freelance writer at night.