| Cult of Mac

Apple now fixes Face ID faults without replacing your entire iPhone

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Michael Cohen Face ID
A more affordable, environmentally friendly option.
Photo: Apple

A Face ID fail isn’t going to get you a new iPhone anymore. Apple has begun distributing the components that its own in-store technicians and authorized service providers need to fix Face ID faults without replacing an entire device.

The cost of the repair depends on the service provider, location, and iPhone model, according to one report. And it is only available for iPhone XS or later, with iPhone X — the first to ship with Face ID — left out in the cold.

Apple’s AR/VR headset is about to get real [The CultCast]

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The CultCast: Another realityOS leak takes us one step closer to strapping Apple gear onto our faces.
Another realityOS leak takes us one step closer to strapping Apple gear onto our ugly mugs.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple code once again refers to a mysterious “realityOS” for a virtual/augmented-reality headset. Vague rumors about the new device, which we’ve been hearing for years now, look set to become very real, very soon.

Also on The CultCast:

  • Why no Face ID on Macs?
  • Apple’s workaround for accepting third-party payments is a joke, but developers definitely aren’t laughing.
  • iPhones are about to become cash registers!

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.

Apple considered Face ID for M1 iMac, but it’s not ready for MacBook yet

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No Face ID in MacBook Pro is a missed opportunity
It will be some time before Face ID graces a MacBook.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple considered bringing Face ID to the M1 iMac, which would have been an ideal candidate for the facial recognition technology, according to a new report.

It’s not clear why the company didn’t follow through with the move. It is believed Face ID could appear in a future Apple desktop. But one source, who has been reliable in the past, says the technology isn’t yet ready for a MacBook.

Incoming: New features in iOS 15.4, new gear at Apple’s March event [The CultCast]

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The CultCast: Face ID might play nice with masks in the near future. Better late than never!
Face ID might play nice with masks in the near future. Better late than never!
Photo: Julio Lopez/Unsplash license; Image: Killian Bell, Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 15.4 packs a punch with some fun and useful new features. It’s still just a beta, but it will give us lots of new emoji for our critical, high-level communications when it goes live. Plus, the beta includes a convenient new way to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask — just in time for the end of the pandemic! 🤞

Also on The CultCast:

  • An Apple event in March looks quite likely.
  • Mini-LED iMac Pro might be delayed.
  • An Apple car patent sheds light on an advanced sunroof.
  • How to download Wordle, just in case The New York Times screws up the popular game.
  • Donkey talk!

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below (down by the headlines and donkey links).

iOS 15.4 beta lets you use Face ID while wearing a mask

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Why Apple Watch’s iPhone unlock will change your freakin’ life
Being able to easily unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask is coming in iOS 15.4.
Photo: Ivan Samkov/Pexels CC

Face ID in iOS 15.4 will let users unlock their iPhones while wearing a mask. No Apple Watch necessary. The system will scan just the area around eyes. It comes with a warning that the change makes Face ID less secure, though.

Apple seeded the first iOS 15.4 beta to developers Thursday.

‘iPhone SE 3’ renders imagine a gorgeous design upgrade we won’t get

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iPhone SE 3 render
It's pretty, but it's unlikely.
Render: Ten Tech Review

New renders of an “iPhone SE 3” show off a gorgeous design upgrade with an edge-to-edge display and no Home button. The device looks a lot like iPhone XR, but with the same dimensions as the current iPhone SE.

These images are said to be based on leaked CAD drawings, but before you get too excited, they’re probably not accurate. At least not for iPhone SE 3.

iPhone 14 won’t include in-screen Touch ID

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iPhone 14 won‘t include in-screen Touch ID
Bad news: looks like iPhone 14 won’t be Apple’s first with an in-display Touch ID scanner.
Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple won’t build the Touch ID fingerprint recognition system into the 2022 iPhone, according to a very reliable tipster. That’s bad news for those who aren’t fans of Face ID, or who just want a second option.

There haven’t been any specific reports that the iPhone 14 will include Touch ID, but Apple is supposedly working on an in-screen version.

iPhone 14 Pro could pack pill-shaped camera cutout, hidden Face ID sensors

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iPhone 14 Pro with pill-shaped camera
It could look a little like this.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple’s bid to do away with the notch could lead to a pill-shaped camera cutout in its display, as well as hidden Face ID sensors, according to a tipster.

Recent rumors suggested that iPhone 14 will be the first to feature a “punch hole” camera cutout in its screen rather than current models’ notch. And though we initially assumed that would be circular — like those on Android devices — that may not be the case.

iOS 15.2 paves the way for DIY display replacements on iPhone 13

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iPhone 13 display repair
That's the end of that.
Photo: iFixit

Apple’s newest iOS 15.2 beta paves the way for DIY screen replacements on iPhone 13. Earlier versions of the firmware inexplicably disabled Face ID when a display was replaced by anyone other than Apple. But that’s no longer the case.

The change came just a day before Apple revealed its new Self Service Program, which will offer customers the parts and tools they need to carry out hardware fixes themselves — if they feel competent enough to do so.