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8/11/2020
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Foye yesterday called on Apple Inc. to modify its iPhone Face ID technology to recognize users wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Foye asked the company to accelerate work on the issue so that iPhone users may more easily unlock their phones using the Face ID feature in order to use their devices while at stations or on trains.
“Upgrades enabling users to unlock their phones while keeping their masks securely covering their nose and mouth would be beneficial in all public spaces, not just on public transportation,” Foye wrote.
Foye also suggested Apple enable notifications to alert users of Apple’s recent iPhone modification that allows users to input passcodes more quickly when the Face ID function fails. This would help encourage people to keep their masks on to unlock their phones, he wrote.
The MTA is willing to collaborate on that messaging — whether through in-device notifications or signage in MTA stations and on trains, he said.
MTA requires all riders wear face coverings at stations and on trains to limit the spread of coronavirus.