Apple’s “alternate appearance” feature was designed, technically, for iPhone/iPad users, who wear headgear at work throughout the day. For this kind of owners and others, here is how to add a second person to Face ID on your device:
You can add another face to Face ID while authenticating on your iPhone/iPad.
Alternatively, you can make use of this same feature, which was technically developed for users that put on headgears for work for long hours during the day, to add your own face again but this time around with a starkly different appearance.
For instance, you may want to add the face of your spouse to Face ID so that they are also able to unlock your iPhone or iPad, or you may want to alternate between your typical appearance as an elegantly coiffed super-model woman and dressed up in a dishevelled Santa Claus costume.
Whatever your reason may be, you can add an alternate appearance or an additional person to your iOS Face ID authentication.
Bear in mind that to use the option for adding another face to Face ID authentication, you have to upgrade your device to iOS 12 or later as earlier iOS versions don’t support the feature.
How to Add a New Face to Face ID on iPhone or iPad
Here is how to carry out the procedure in iOS:
- Head to “Settings” app
- Tap the “Face ID & Passcode” option and authenticate if necessary
- Choose “Set Up an Alternate Appearance”
- Follow the ensuing on-screen instructions for setting up Face ID with the additional face
- When you have completed the setup of the second face in Face ID, hit “Done”
After taking these steps, you can confirm if the alternate appearance or the newly added face is working by putting your iPhone or iPad in lock mode and then unlocking it using Face ID via the second face or new appearance.
This feature can be useful for a lot of people. Whether it is to enable a partner or a spouse to gain easy access to an iPhone or iPad or if your work demands the use of headgear for long hours during the day.
Apparently, the alternate appearance option also has other uses apart from the stated ones above.
Face ID should learn your appearance, continuously, as you keep using the function.
So for instance, if you wear an entirely new hairstyle or put on glasses, it is supposed to be able to still notice your change in appearance.
If you encounter any issue with Face ID recognizing these kinds of changes, you can easily add your new appearance to Face ID. This should fix any unlocking problem you experience on your iPhone or iPad.
If you so desire, you can decide to unlock your device without the use of Face ID. This means you will have to opt for the old-fashioned method — unlocking the handset with a passcode.
If you choose to remove the second face or person from Face ID, you will have to reset Face ID and start all over again.
This step will delete both your primary and secondary appearances from the mobile device.
Even after adding another appearance or face, the normal tips for temporarily disabling Face ID on iPhone or iPad using a couple of button presses or via Siri are still applicable.
They can be used with every face, added to Face ID. That’s all about adding a second face to Face ID on your iPhone or iPad.
