Even since the pandemic struck and wearing masks became the norm, folks who own an iPhone with Face ID hardware – such as the iPhone 12 – have been stuck with a biometric system that is of little to no use. Every time one has to unlock their iPhone while wearing a mask, the passcode must be manually entered. However, Apple is finally rolling out a way to unlock iPhones using the Apple Watch with iOS 14.5, a feature that has been available on Macs for a while now.
The new feature has arrived as part of the iOS 14.5 developer beta that has now been released (via Macrumors), and will be rolled out via the stable channel in the coming weeks. Talking about the authentication feature, an Apple Watch and iPhone need to be paired for it to work. If you’re wearing an Apple Watch that is currently unlocked, Face ID will run a partial face scan while you’re wearing a mask and will unlock the iPhone.
And when Face ID unlocks an iPhone, the Apple Watch sends haptic feedback to let you know about it. And just like unlocking an iPhone with the Apple Watch, there is also an option to lock a paired phone with the smartwatch. However, an iPhone and Apple Watch need to be close to each for the unlocking and locking issue to get sorted. Plus, the ability to unlock an iPhone while wearing a face mask via the Apple Watch must be enabled manually.
However, the new trick works only when you’re simply trying to unlock your iPhone without having to take off your mask. And that too, when the Apple Watch is on your wrist or nearby. However, for payments and other such tasks, you’ll either have to enter the passcode or take off your mask for Face ID authentication.
In addition to a new method for unlocking iPhones with Face ID hardware, the iOS 14.5 beta update also adds support for the Sony PlayStation 5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers. Plus, it also enables support for dual-SIM 5G, emergency contact calling via Siri, and AirPlay 2 casting support for Apple Fitness+ content.
The Google Pixel 4, Apple’s latest iPad Air and more on sale today
Deals. Let’s change it up a bit today and start with the Pixel 4. It’s currently $120 off, leaving the 64GB variant for $680. The 4XL is also getting a $110 discount, leaving the entry level variant for $790. The latest 10.2in iPad is $30 off, leaving the Wi-Fi only, 128GB of storage variant for $399 shipped. The LG G8 ThinQ is also down from it’s original $840 price tag, and you can find it for as low as $500 shipped on Amazon. We also have more deals on GoPros, Acer Headphones, iPad Minis and more.
Let’s talk about Intel as, they have quite a mess. The company is way behind on launching their 7nm chips and it looks like they got more delays in the pipeline. They just revealed their quarter earnings for Q2 and with that they announced that their 7nm chips will be delayed by another 6 months and may now release until late 2022 or early 2023. This is a total of 12 months later than the original roadmap they presented. According to their CEO, they found a “defect mode” in their new process causing yield degradation issues. Their Vecchio GPUs and their Server CPUs were also affected and will now launch later as well. We’ll keep you posted but, they better hurry up as AMD already moved on to 7nm and Apple Silicon will be working on 5nm processes. Oh, and who remembers Sly DelVecchio in Passenger 57… I know, I’m old.
Microsoft Surface Duo launch might be around the corner as it gets Bluetooth certification
Speaking of delays, let’s move on to Microsoft. We’ve been waiting for the Surface Duo for a crazy 10 months but it looks like we’re finally getting closer. It just went through an FCC certification, testing the two screens and network capabilities. According to a report, the confidentiality agreement ends on October 29th and it is set to be released for the holidays. However, it just went through a Bluetooth SIG certification to ensure Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. The listing mentions a dual-screen device which went live on July 24th. These two certifications usually happen when the device is about to come out so there is a possibility that we could get it in the next following weeks. The leaked specs haven’t change and we’re still expecting it to bring a Snapdragon 855, 6GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and a 3460 mAh battery.
Apple iPhone 11 is now being made in India, could get a price cut soon
We got some pretty good news for our Indian audience. Obviously given all the trade war mess that has been going on, if you remember, Apple shifted production of the iPhone XR to India about 9 months ago. Now ,the Minister of Commerce and Industry just tweeted out that Foxconn will be moving the production of the iPhone 11 to India as well and that’s actually a good thing. This allows Apple to avoid a 20% tax that is needed to import the phone from their global facilities and now, prices might go down. The iPhone 11 is already listed in the Indian Prime Day which will happen on August 6th and 7th. Apple’s suppliers are apparently making huge investments in India as consumer demand has been growing as of late.
It seems that we could soon get Face ID in future Macs
We’ve been talking about a redesigned iMac for quite some time now, and it looks like that redesign means we’re getting some new features. The guys over at 9to5Mac have found some references to Face ID in the macOS Big Sur code. The latest beta includes an extension called “PearlCamera” and Pearl has been Apple’s code for Face ID ever since they introduced it with the iPhone X. Inside the extension we get references to “FaceDetect” and “BioCapture”, suggesting that the next Macs might bring a TrueDepth camera. We assume that this might come to the iMacs as, they’re supposed to bring iPad Pro bezels which have enough room and because, MacBooks currently bring Touch ID which doesn’t really make sense for an iMac, considering the keyboard comes separate. As of right now we have no leaks on it, but we should get some if it is true.
Story of the day:
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 might ship with a 25W charger in the retail package
Here are Galaxy Note 20 & Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera details
We keep on getting more and more leaks of the Galaxy Note 20 the close we get and no guys, I don’t have the phone. Today we have some new leaks from Twitter with some detailed camera specs for both phones. It gets kinda technical so we’ll just give you the essential details. The regular Note 20 will basically bring the S20+’s camera array and this is not a bad thing, I think that was the best camera of the current S20 lineup. We have a 12MP main sensor, a 64MP telephoto with 3x zoom, a 12MP wide angle and a ToF 3D depth sensor which we thought they were ditching. It’ll apparently be capable of shooting up to 8K at 24fps, 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 240fps and 720p at 960fps. Moving on to the Ultra, it’ll bring a 108MP primary, a 12MP wide angle, and a 12MP telephoto as well as the ToF 3D depth sensor. The video capabilities are the same as the Note 20 but we do expect this phone to achieve 50x zoom with the periscope lens. Another tweet from the same source also claims that both of these phones will ship with a 25W charger in the box. These leaks also show that the Note 20 might start around the $999 mark and the Ultra somewhere around $1200. With yesterday’s leaks that the regular Note 20 might be somewhat of a Lite variant, that $999 price tag doesn’t seem to appealing.
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Face ID was first introduced back in September 2017, when it arrived as one of the best features of the iPhone X. Since then, we have seen this feature present in more Apple devices, including the iPad Pro. Now, it seems that Apple may also want to bring this feature to future Macs.
According to new information found in the macOS Big Sur code, we could soon see Face ID in future Macs. This means that future Mac models would most likely come with a TrueDepth camera system, the same one we find in iPhones and iPad Pros. This new information was discovered by the guys over at 9to5Mac in the latest Big Sur beta. They also found an extension with code to support a PearlCamera function. “Pearl” has been the codename used for Face ID and the TrueDepth camera system, since its first appearance in the iPhone X. We also see references to “FaceDetect” and “BioCapture” inside the extension, which means that it’s only a matter of time before we get Face ID in Macs.
Facebook is reportedly testing a feature that would allow Messenger users to lock their inbox and keep prying eyes away. In order to gain access to the conversations, users will need to authenticate with either Face ID or Touch ID.
This functionality has been rolled out on Facebook-owned WhatsApp last year, and it is basically offering the same extra layer of protection.
In the case of Facebook Messenger, the app will require a passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID authentication either immediately after leaving the app, or at a specific interval.
We want to give people more choices and controls to protect their private messages, and recently, we began testing a feature that lets you unlock the Messenger app using your device’s settings. It’s an added layer of privacy to prevent someone else from accessing your messages.
Facebook spokesperson cited by Engadget
The feature is currently being tested on a limited number of iOS users, but it will likely roll-out to a wider target audience via an app update in the near future.
Google Drive app for iPhone and iPad has received a new update that adds support for Face ID and Touch ID as an additional layer of protection. Version 4.2020.18204 of the Google Drive app on the App Store mentions the arrival of a new feature called Privacy Screen that integrates Face ID and Touch ID for the cloud storage app.
The app listing only mentions that Face ID or Touch ID will protect sensitive files from prying eyes. However, Google warns that Privacy Screen may not provide the necessary protection when it comes to notifications, “Certain Siri functionality”, files shared using the Files app and photo transfers from the Photos app.
Privacy Screen will require Face ID or Touch ID authentication every time the Google Drive app is opened. However, users can prevent Privacy Screen from kicking in for a duration of 10 seconds, one minute, or 10 minutes while multitasking. Interestingly, the changelog is dated May 4, but as per a Digital Trendsreport, this feature began showing up for users back in October.