New iPhone 13 Face ID Tech May Solve Issues with Foggy Glasses and Masks

Last year, we reported during the pandemic that Apple created some iOS updates specifically to help iPhones recognize faces under challenging conditions, such as wearing a mask. This proved particularly helpful for all owners of newer iPhones that unlock using facial recognition technology (making the creative workarounds people were developing less necessary) and made it just a bit easier to get through lockdown periods and mask requirements.

Now, in a timely move, Apple appears to be testing new hardware for the iPhone 13 that will solve these facial recognition issues once and for all.

Here’s what we know, courtesy of Front Page Tech‘s report: Instead of a software update like the previous change, this is a unique piece of hardware that Apple started testing with the iPhone 12 and continued to work on during the iPhone 13’s phase of development.

It began as a separate case that fits around the iPhone and adds an extra sensor array that can pick up more facial data. This can allow the iPhone to gather enough data to authorize and unlock even if users are wearing a mask, have foggy glasses, or the infamous combination of the two.

How this technology would look in the iPhone 13 is a bit unclear, but it’s unlikely to be a separate case. Instead, the case was likely designed to add prototype iPhone 13 features to the iPhone 12, and the new sensor array would be incorporated directly into the iPhone 13 itself.

While this hasn’t been confirmed yet, we’ll be sure to hear more about it if Apple unveils the iPhone 13 at their fall event (likely on September 7). It’s just the sort of feature that Apple likes to highlight to show how the latest iPhone models have improved technology and innovative features.

Keep in mind, hospitals are once again overrun, and Delta variant cases are swiftly on the rise in multiple parts of the United States – particularly in areas that have been slow to get the numerous, free COVID-19 vaccinations now available. It’s no surprise that mask requirements are now resurfacing, both from state mandates and individual decisions made by cities, schools, hospitals, and other locations. So while the iPhone 13 may be a few weeks away, this new hardware could still prove particularly timely for many users.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]