How to use a mask AND Face ID with an iPhone

By now we use our smartphones for everything. We play games, listen to music, browse the internet, take pictures but iPhones can do so much more. Power users know these tips and tricks but most people don’t.

If you take selfies you’ve probably wished for longer arms so your finger can touch the shutter button on the screen or press the volume up button to take the picture. Siri can snap a picture too if you set it up with a shortcut.

Open the shortcuts app on the iPhone and search for “say cheese”, then save it. Now, when you want to snap a selfie but you’re out of reach of the shutter button just say “Hey Siri, say cheese” and she’ll snap it for you. It isn’t the perfect solution since you won’t be able to see a preview of the photo but it’ll save it to your photo album. 

You can make your selfies stand out by using the professional photographer’s settings in the iPhones camera and blur the background. You’ll need to be using portrait mode, then tap on the ‘f’ in the upper right-hand corner. That’s the ‘f-stop’ or aperture setting. The lower the number, such as 1.7,  the blurrier the background. It makes a huge difference in how the photos look and makes the subject, yourself, stand out from the background.  Find the look you want and snap it. It works with both the front and rear-facing cameras.

We all hate having to type in the passcode now that Face ID can’t recognize us with a mask on. Set up an alternative appearance in settings wearing your mask. You’ll most likely get a warning that your face is covered and it can’t complete the task. As it asks you to rotate your face around the scan, remove half of your mask and complete the first step, during the second scan, remove the other half of the mask so it only covers the other side. It isn’t 100% effective but you probably won’t need to take your mask completely off to unlock the phone. Just pull it down slightly below your nose. 

These tips and tricks may not seem like much but if you use and get used to them, they’re game-changers.