Apple told to replace Face ID, as covidiots on buses take off masks to unlock phone
New York’s mass transit agency wants Apple to come up with a better method for iPhone users to unlock their phones without removing their masks, as it seeks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus in buses and subways.
In a letter to CEO Tim Cook obtained by The Associated Press, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Patrick Foye said riders have been seen removing their masks to unlock their phones using face-recognition technology, despite a recently available update by Apple that simplifies the unlock process for folks wearing masks.
Previously, an iPhone user wearing a mask would have to wait a couple of seconds as face recognition software tried to identify them before they eventually could enter a passcode. In response to the pandemic, Apple’s iOS 13.5, released in May, automatically presents the passcode field after a user swipes up from underneath of the lock screen.
Also, Apple Pay Express Transit, introduced this past year, allows riders on some bus and subway lines to pay with their iPhone or Apple Watch and never have to wake the device.
“We understand Apple is attempting to address the issue and understand that Apple has a selection of technologies at its disposal as a global leader among tech companies,” Foye wrote in the letter sent Sunday. “We urge Apple to accelerate the deployment of new technologies and solutions that further protect customers in the era of COVID-19.”
Foye added that the MTA will be ready to collaborate with Apple on messaging to be sure users know about the recent iPhone modification.
“There’s nothing more vital that you us than the health insurance and safety of our customers,” Apple said within an emailed statement that noted the upgrades it has recently made. “We are fully committed to continuing to work with the MTA to aid their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
Bus and subway use in New York and other cities plunged through the height of the pandemic. The MTA lost more than 90% of its subway ridership, which along with minimal revenue at its other properties has generated a fiscal hole that will take years to fill, officials have said. Ridership has slowly increased but nonetheless lags far behind pre-pandemic levels.
Furthermore to an aggressive cleaning programme which has included the unprecedented step of shutting down the subway overnight, the MTA requires all riders to wear masks and keep to physical distancing norms. The authority has said in recent weeks that a lot more than 90% are wearing some form of face covering.
