That someone else can unlock an iPhone with Face ID was highly demanded at the arrival of the iPhone X in 2017, this being the first Apple device with this technology. This was motivated by the possibility of doing the same with Touch ID and although this functionality took a long time to arrive, it is possible to configure more than one face. Here’s how.
Is it safer to configure a face twice?
Before knowing the way in which faces can be added to Face ID, it is convenient to clarify some doubts. The first is whether it is possible to configure the same face twice and the answer is yes. It is possible to add your face a second time as well as someone else’s, whether or not they look like you.
The second question is the one formulated in the title of this section and which is linked to the previous one. You can’t really say that setting the same face twice is more or less safe. The security of this system is really such that it would be enough to configure it only once. There are those who think that perhaps you can gain in efficiency when the iPhone recognizes your face, but it is not true either. Actually, this function is more oriented to the possibility that you choose a person who can access the device.
Add faces in Face ID
Let’s get to the important point now, the way you can add more faces in Face ID. It should be said that only two faces can be configured , unlike Touch ID which allows a greater number of fingerprints. As you will see below, the process is really simple and does not take more than a minute.
- Open Settings.
- Go to Face ID and code.
- Enter the iPhone security code.
- Click on “Set an alternate look.”
- Click on “Start”.
- Follow the instructions marked on the screen for the first scan.
- Click on “Continue”.
- Perform the second scan.
- Click on “Ok”.
Once you have done this, you will have two faces added to Face ID. We remember that these are not saved on any Apple server or similar, but are stored on the iPhone itself and that is why it must be configured again in case of formatting the phone. Nor will you be able to delete one of the faces to configure another, since for this you will have to reconfigure both from scratch by clicking on “Reset Face ID”.
Unlock an iPhone with a mask
With the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple introduced a slight improvement in the recognition of Face ID, which is able to know when you are wearing a mask and make the numeric keypad jump faster to unlock it with the code. However, the option to detect a face with a mask has not been added. The reason basically lies in the loss of efficiency of the system , since in the end the mouth and nose are fundamental parts of the distinction between faces.
There is a way to unlock the iPhone without removing the mask completely, lowering only the part of the nose and making it visible to the iPhone. However, we cannot recommend doing this for health reasons, since even for a few seconds you will be exposed to possible risks of contagion of viruses and bacteria, so it would be the mask that would lose its effectiveness. This is especially relevant in crowded public places such as public transport, so make sure there is at least 2 meters of distance with other people if you are going to do it.
The extra official method to configure a face with a mask is the following, although we once again insist on the fact that the unlocking system will lose security and the chances that someone else can unlock your device without permission increases.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap on Face ID.
- Enter the iPhone code.
- Delete all the faces by clicking on “Reset Face ID”.
- Now click on “Configure Face ID”.
- Set up your normal face.
- Now click on “Configure alternative appearance”.
- Set up your face with a blank sheet of paper covering a quarter of your face (lower left or right).
It should be noted that Techlab was the first to discover this method to “outwit” Face ID by wearing a mask.