We all love our devices, from our smartphones, smart watches, smart TVs, you name it! We love them even more when they come with updates that help us use and have a better experience with them.
The best thing about updates is when they’re really useful in solving everyday problems and making life’s activities less cumbersome. Technology has always and will always be an answer to life’s problem and since the coronavirus pandemic that gulped down most of 2020, scientist, computer and software programmers, tech companies, and what have you, have been looking at creating innovations that can solve problems that came about as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Apple’s Face ID is one of the smartest innovations from the company, all you have to do is look at your phone and it gets unlocked instantly, but with the advent of coronavirus, Face ID unlock didn’t quite fit in with making life easier, because unlocking one’s iPhone had to be done either by using the rather obsolete passcode option or by taking off your facemask.
The World Health Organization says to stay safe and prevent oneself from contracting the coronavirus, the best and easiest way to do this is by masking up. With this directive, Apple’s Face ID seemed rather useless but that is about to change.
On Thursday, Apple’s released its iOS 14.5 update through its public beta software program. The official update is expected to be released in spring this year. The new update will solve the problem of unlocking your phone while wearing a face mask (or if your face is covered). The only catch to this is that you need an Apple Watch. This new update will allow you to unlock your iPhone while wearing your Apple Watch on your wrist. You can call this a well thought out trap, because while it is a smart innovation from Apple, you need an Apple watch to enjoy this amazing feature. But one amazing thing to know about the update is that it works and is very effective. It also solves the problems of having to take off masks and in cases of doctors and medical professional, having to take off their personal protective equipment (PPE) because they need to unlock their smartphone.
Remember in 2017 Apple said, ‘Nothing has ever been simpler, more natural, more effortless. We call this Face ID’, when the facial recognition was introduced on the iPhone X.
In 2021, Apple has taken into account the ineffectiveness of the face unlock feature. This is why it is introducing the update to solve this problem brought to light by the pandemic.
We can’t all just go back to using passcodes because what if we need to unlock our phones in front of other people? The new update is, therefore, very effective and useful for a period like the one we’re currently in. The only issue is having to get an Apple Watch (if you don’t already own one).
While this new feature will totally be welcomed by users, it is one that Apple’s counterpart; Android, would try to copy because of its impactful use for a time like this.
