Level Up Your Life

Subscribe

Will Features Of The iPhone 12 Reflect Our Post-Pandemic Needs?

Kate Venman Avatar
Kate Venman
Will Features Of The iPhone 12 Reflect Our Post-Pandemic Needs?

We’re mere days off the release of the highly-anticipated iPhone 12, and while we know a lot about the new device – we don’t have all the answers to our questions. Like, will features of the iPhone 12 reflect our post-pandemic needs?

A shared frustration when it comes to recent iPhone models is the fact that it’s near impossible to unlock your device while wearing a mask.

According to Cnet, Apple’s new iPad Air integrated Touch ID into the power button on top of the tablet. That means users will be able to unlock the device with their face – or their fingerprint – depending on the situation (and if a mask is being worn).

However, Cnet reports that it takes Apple “about a year to 18 months to develop each new iPhone,” which means the iPhone 12 was designed well before the global pandemic and the requirements around wearing masks.

Apple swapped Face ID for Touch ID with the release of this year’s iPhone SE – much to mask-wearing folks’ delight. However, “the inclusion of Touch ID in the home button limited the size of the phone’s display,” according to CNet.

It’s not all bad news, though. There is one element of our post-pandemic life that will be reflected in the features of Apple’s iOS 14.2 software update.

According to the Emojipedia blog, the mask-wearing emoji will be smiling under it’s face covering – rather than frowning – as part of the update. Emojipedia states “a direct comparison with Apple’s existing ‘smiling face’ emoji reveals that’s exactly what’s behind the mask.”

With 36 million global cases of COVID-19 and over one million deaths as a result of the virus, we are still very much in the thick of the pandemic. It means we’ll be spending just as much – if not more – time on our devices in effort to stay connected, but it also means our technology needs to reflect our new reality.

Comments

Leave a Reply