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iOS 15.4 adds Face ID with a Mask, letting you unlock your iPhone with Face ID even when your face is covered, so Face ID is as convenient with a mask as it is without one.

How Face ID With a Mask Works

With the lower half of your face covered by a mask, Face ID scans your eye area to authenticate your identity. According to Apple, Face ID with a mask recognizes the "unique features" around the eye area rather than looking at the entire face when you're wearing a mask.

When you update to iOS 15.4, there's a built-in Face ID with a Mask setup process that you'll be prompted to complete. It's identical to the original Face ID setup process, and you'll be asked to complete a 3D facial scan. 

Face ID with a Mask is only available on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models. It's compatible with the ‌iPhone 12‌, iPhone 12 mini, ‌iPhone 12‌ Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, ‌iPhone 13‌, ‌iPhone 13‌ mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ Max.

It does not work with earlier iPhones and it does not work with the iPad. Apple has not made it clear if there is a hardware limitation preventing the Face ID mask unlock from working with earlier versions of the ‌iPhone‌.

If you have an older phone, you might soon need an iPhone battery replacement. iPhone battery life decreases down over time, and the deterioration is faster with older iPhone models. Still, there are things you can do to put off battery replacement for a while longer. Here are 10 common habits you probably have that are ruining your iPhone battery life.

1. Searching for signal

One of the number one things that kills your iPhone battery life is searching for a signal in a low signal area. You can help prevent this situation by turning off your WiFi unless you are connected to a network.

2. Too many notifications

Constant notifications can wear down your iPhone battery health over time.

3. Brightness

Smartphones have auto-brightness for a reason. The feature keeps your screen visible while also saving you from needing an early iPhone battery replacement. A super bright screen all the time causes serious battery wear.

4. Not using low power mode

Again, this is another feature that is there for a reason. Low power mode allows your iPhone battery life to adjust according to the percentage it is at and prevents it from further damage.

5. Extreme temperatures

Extreme hot and cold are also problematic for battery.

6. Constantly quitting apps

Opening and closing applications requires a bit of battery power. Repeated actions like that can damage your iPhone battery life. Leave apps open while you use them instead of closing the whole thing between every new Snapchat or text.

7. Using data when WiFi is available

WiFi is better for your battery than data. It’s also cheaper in most cases, so there are two good reasons you should use it.

8. Charging when the battery is full

Once your battery is full, unplug your phone. Keeping it plugged into the charger past 100 percent can damage the battery. It is better to charge your phone during the day, even if it is in short bursts, than overnight when it will stay plugged in fully charged for hours.

9. Letting your phone die

Allowing your phone to dwindle all the way down to zero is not good for the battery. It’s even worse than charging it past 100 percent. These two habits can lead to the need for iPhone battery replacement. To keep the battery in good shape, plug your phone in when it is charged around 40 percent.

10. Keeping unnecessary apps

If you have apps on your phone that you don’t use, delete them, especially if they use a lot of battery power. Don’t leave apps that you rarely look at running in the background of your phone either. Keeping your storage under control helps your iPhone battery life.

Apple in iOS 15.2 is making it easier for your loved ones to access your personal data in the event of your death with the addition of a Legacy Contact feature. A person set as your Legacy Contact gets a special code that can be provided to Apple alongside a death certificate to unlock your device.

The Legacy Contact that you set will have access to your Messages, photos, notes, and other sensitive data, plus the ability to remove Activation Lock from your devices, so it is an opt-in feature and should be reserved for your most trusted contact. This how to walks you through how to enable Legacy Contacts, covers how to get to the data after a death, and outlines some of the data that will be accessible.

iOS 15.2 is available in a beta capacity at the current time, but it will launch to the public later this fall.

How to Add a Legacy Contact

Adding a Legacy Contact takes just a few steps, but both people involved in the process need to be running iOS 15.2 or later.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on your profile picture to get to your Apple ID settings.
3. Tap on Password &Security.
4. Tap on Legacy Contact.
5. Tap on Add Legacy Contact.
6. At the pop up screen that describes the feature, tap on Add Legacy Contact.
7. Authenticate with Face ID, Apple ID, or a password.
8. Apple will suggest members of your family if you have Family Sharing enabled. Tap on a family member's name or select "Choose Someone Else" to pick from your contacts list.
9. Once a person has been selected, tap Next
10. At the screen that describes how Legacy Contact works, tap Continue.
11. Choose how to share your Access Key. You can send an iMessage to a contact with your key, or you can print a copy of it.

Unofficial iPhone 13 screen repairs will disable face ID. iPhone 13’s display is replaced with either a genuine, or non-genuine (otherwise known as “after market”) part, Face ID stops working. Even...