Face masks were extremely rare before the beginning of 2020. However, thanks to the new coronavirus pandemic, face masks are a part of our lives. In some countries, they are already mandatory in indoor locations. However, wearing a mask brings a problem - you can't easily unlock your iPhone 12 with Face ID. 

As you know, Face ID is one of the features of iPhone since the X series. But when you are wearing a mask, besides making your ears suffer, it is kind of hard to unlock iPhone with Face ID. This is a problem for all iPhone users from iPhone X onwards, as the newer generations rely on facial recognition instead of fingerprint recognition.

Last May, Apple released an iOS update (iOS 13.5) that allows iPhone users to swipe upwards on the iPhone to dismiss the requirement for Face ID and instead unlock using the passcode. So far, this solution is good enough for many iPhone owners. 

iPhone Face ID Unlock Without Swipe

When you want to make sure that you can use the Face ID iPhone 12 Pro to unlock your iPhone without swipe, here's what you need:

• An Apple Watch that is running the WatchOS 7.4. You need to make sure that it is on your wrist and that it is unlocked.
• You need to have a passcode enabled on your iPhone. In case you still don't have one, you just need to go to Settings, tap on Passcode, and then tap on Turn Passcode on. 
• You also need to have Wrist Detection turned on.
• Your iPhone needs to be running iOS 14.5.

At this point, Apple allows you to unlock your iPhone in 3 different ways: you may use a passcode, you can use the iPhone Face ID, or you can use your fingertips through Touch ID.

It's important to keep in mind that the Touch ID feature is only available on older models. Besides, considering that Apple's biometric facial recognition doesn't work if you're wearing a face mask, this means can only type in your passcode.

How to Unlock iPhone With Face ID with Apple Watch

When you want to use the iPhone Face ID unlock without swipe, you can do it easily if you have an Apple Watch. 

The first thing you need to do is to turn on the Unlock with Apple Watch feature on your iPhone. Just open Settings, tap on Face ID & Passcode, and then choose Unlock with Apple Watch.

Now, if your Watch is on your wrist and unlocked when you attempt to unlock your iPhone with Face ID, and your iPhone detects that you have a mask on, it will unlock automatically.

A message will appear on your Watch to alert you to the fact that your iPhone is unlocked and indicating that you can lock it again.

Another Better Solution - set iPhone to Unlock with a Mask on

Users may be annoying: An iPhone 12 that cannot be unlocked with Face ID is almost the same as the old models, and even has a worse experience. At least old models can be unlocked with a Touch ID.

The good news is, on February 1st, the company released a new iOS 14.5 update. With this update, iPhone owners can use Face ID even if their face is obscured by a face mask. You just make several steps, then you can use Face ID to unlock the iPhone 12 with a mask on.