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Face ID Doesn’t Work with a Mask

May 4, 2020

Shocker. If you are wearing a mask, Face ID doesn't work. Ars technica posted that Apple is changing the authentication operation of Face ID on an iPhone. We have long suggested that you NOT use any biometric unlocking mechanism for your smartphone. Apple's change will not lessen the amount of data used for facial recognition. The change jumps you right to entry of a passcode instead, which is what you should be using anyway. Using biometrics to unlock your device means you can be compelled to unlock your phone when requested. We have many examples in our family law cases where the wife gets husband liquored up and puts his finger on the Touch ID to unlock the phone once he has passed out. Law enforcement also points the phone at the owner's face to unlock the phone when crossing the border.

Our advice is to use a passcode as the primary unlocking mechanism. There's nothing wrong with using biometrics for access to apps once the device is initially unlocked, but not for gaining access to the smartphone. Besides the update to Apple's unlocking mechanism, the iOS 13.5 update will introduce a contract-tracing API. As noted security expert Bruce Schneier said, "The idea that contact tracing can be done with an app, and not human health professionals, is just plain dumb."

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