How to Turn Off Face Unlock on Your Smartphone Now That You Are Wearing a Mask
In most cases, face unlocking your phone is an easy way to gain access to your device. However, now that we’re all in masks while we’re on the go (right?), This feature is more annoying than a great hands-free way to use your device.
If you are having problems with Face ID or Face Unlock, you can temporarily disable this feature so that you don’t have to fiddle with a mask or go through a series of prompts to be able to enter a password.
This feature is easily disabled on iOS and Android and easily re-enabled, so you can add it again when you go back inside or go where you don’t need to cover your face.
And if you turn it off, now is the time to make sure you default to a secure alternate password for your device and ideally use its fingerprint sensor if you don’t wear gloves often. If you wear gloves all the time, now is also a good time to reevaluate the unlock code or pattern you are using and consider changing it to something more sophisticated.
iphone
On your iPhone, you need to go to the Settings menu and then Face ID & Password. Your iPhone will ask you for a passcode. Once you’ve done that, you can turn off “iPhone Unlock” on the next page.
Once you do this, your iPhone will be unlocked by default with your digital password. Down the line, if you want to re-enable Face ID, you can do so by following these instructions again and re-enabling the iPhone unlock button.
If you don’t want to turn it off completely, you can also hold down the power button and any volume button when the Face ID prompt appears. Your phone displays the Power Off, Medical ID and Emergency Help menus. When you exit this mode, you will be prompted for a password to unlock.
Android
On Android, you need to go to Settings, then Security and then Face Control. As with iOS, you will need to enter your phone’s password here to go to the next page.
Toggle the button next to Phone Unlock to disable face unlock.
Again, just like with iOS, when it’s time to turn it back on, just follow these instructions again and turn on the Unlock Phone button again.