You probably know by now that Apple’s Face ID does not work with masks. Apple has clarified that “Face ID is designed to work with your eyes, nose and mouth visible.” So if you are wearing a mask, the only option you have to unlock your iPhone is to use a passcode.

Some websites have claimed that there is a way to get Face ID to work with a mask, by adding an alternative appearance. But I have tried adding an alternative appearance by folding the mask in half and hold it up to my face, but that doesn’t work. It still says “Face Obstructed”.

But WSJ’s Joanna Stern who first reported the issue has tracked down a woman who created a mask to get around it. Danielle Baskin, a product designer, had faced the problem with Face ID while wearing a mask back in February, so she decided to create a 3D mask with a nose and a mouth on it. Danielle realized that Face ID uses depth so she couldn’t just use an image of the mouth and nose, she had to make a 3D mask which actually has the contours of her face to make it work with Face ID. It looks creepy, but it works as you can see in the video below.

Face ID is a great solution, but it is not perfect. There are many instances when I have hoped that my iPhone 11 Pro Max also had Touch ID. I really hope that Apple will add support for Touch ID with an in-display fingerprint scanner along with Face ID. However, based on the leaks and rumors we have heard so far, it seems unlikely we will see it in iPhone 12 series, which is expected to be released later this year. So we need to get used to using the passcode.

What do you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.