The first developer beta for iOS 15.4 includes an option to allow Face ID to be used with a face mask. Screenshots show that users who wear face masks are not allowed to wear sunglasses if they want to successfully use facial recognition technology.

In the new settings menu for iOS 15.4 beta, there is an option to use Face ID with a face mask. Under this option, it is written that Face ID is able to recognize unique appearances around users’ eyes, but also that facial recognition works more accurately when it can analyze an entire face. The user wearing a face mask has to look directly at the respective iPhone in order to be able to use Face ID successfully.

The screenshots also show that users who want to activate the new feature will now have the option to take a new face scan while wearing the glasses. According to Apple, the option to use Face ID with a face mask works best when recognizing the face while the user is wearing their glasses.

Discovered by journalists from Mac rumors in a Twitter user Brandon Butch. They have shared screenshots in which the new functionality can be seen, but it is not clear if the functionality can be used as well. Face ID is the infrared facial recognition that Apple introduced in 2017, and it has been developed in all of the top iPhone models since the iPhone X.