iOS 15.4 beta finally brings long-awaited feature to iPhones

Apple has released the iOS 15.4 beta and iPadOS 15.4 beta, which finally brings a feature that users of iPhones have been waiting for years.

iOS 15.4 Beta: Face ID unlock with mask

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple’s Face ID unlocking mechanism has had a clear disadvantage compared to the classic fingerprint sensor. Wearing a mask makes it impossible to unlock the iPhone with Face ID – or it is only possible in combination with an Apple Watch.

Apple finally addresses this issue with the new iOS 15.4 beta, which enables unlocking via FaceID with a mask. The new feature can be found in the new OS update under the Settings app under the item “Face ID & Code” and then under “Use Face ID with a mask”.

According to Apple, Face ID is still the more secure option to unlock the smartphone. However, wearing a mask is finally remedied with the new feature. With the new “Use Face ID with a mask” feature, facial recognition focuses on the area around the eyes for authentication.

The recognition also works when wearing glasses, but not when using sunglasses, as the eyes have to be captured in detail for this. However, this requires the use of a model from the iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 series. The release of payments via Apple Pay or the login to third-party apps is also possible.

Other innovations of the iOS 15.4 beta

In addition, the iOS 15.4 beta finally allows third-party apps full access to the 120 Hz display of the iPhone 13 Pro. Previously, third-party apps were only limited to 60 Hz, but now these apps can also benefit from the faster ProMotion display of the current iPhone generation.

Apple has always attributed the lack of support to a “bug in the display of animations”, which has apparently finally been fixed with iOS 15.4. Among others, Apollo developer Christian Selig confirmed this via Twitter.

Also new in iOS 15.4 are 37 new emojis along with 75 new skin tones from the Emoji 14.0 update. iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 also allow users to add notes to their iCloud Keychain passwords for the first time. A feature that was previously only available on macOS.

iPadOS 15.4 Beta 1 brings Universal Control

iPad owners can also look forward to the introduction of Universal Control with the new iPadOS 15.4 Beta 1. Combined with the use of a device running macOS 12.3, this allows the Mac’s keyboard, touchpad, or mouse to be used on the iPad linked to an iCloud account.

The betas for iOS 15.4 (Build: 19E5209h) and iPadOS 15.4 (Build: 19E5209h) are now available for download. Thus, the final client of the operating system update should not be too long in coming.