3 Add an Alternate Appearance or Second Face to Face ID
For the most part, Face ID works pretty darn well. It’s often faster and more convenient than Touch ID and it’s definitely faster than typing a long, secure password. Don’t get me wrong, there are some things about Touch ID I really miss, but for the most part Face ID isn’t the train wreck many of us were expecting.
Two of the biggest gripes I’ve heard regarding Face ID is that you can’t add a second face, or it doesn’t recognize a face in certain instances, such as waking up. Now in iOS 12, Apple is allowing users to setup an alternate appearance. This means users can now setup a second face—even if Apple didn’t intend this—or use it to help Face ID better recognize them in certain circumstances.
I don’t know about you, but when I wake up in the morning, not only do I look scarier than usual, but half of my head is still in the pillow. I setup an alternative appearance with my head in my pillow and it actually works a lot better than it did.
So now if your combatting “I just woke up” face, or your part-time job requires you to use a mask, goggles, or something else that drastically changes your face, you’ll still be able to unlock your device. Batman is somewhere rejoicing.
To setup your alternate appearance, find it in
- Settings
- Face ID & Passcode
- Set Up an Alternate Appearance
This will prompt you to go through Face ID scanning to get all angles of your face like the first time you set it up.