I've seen the tweet more than once in the last two weeks, and you probably have, too. Someone trying to unlock their iPhone with FaceID, getting frustrated that it didn't work, and then realizing that FaceID didn't recognize their face with a protective face mask on.

This has been happening ever since public health officials began recommending that Americans wear a face mask-even an improvised one-while leaving the house, in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

"CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission," the CDC recommended last week, along with instructions for how to create their own masks.

So how can you get FaceID to work while wearing a mask? There are a few options. You can take the mask off for a second in order to unlock your phone. Or, you can simply unlock the phone the old-fashioned way, by using your passcode instead of FaceID.

Some have tried to set up another FaceID profile while wearing their mask, but Apple says that FaceID only works when the user's eyes, nose and mouth are visible in the photo. If one tries to take a FaceID picture with a mask fully on, an error message will come up that says "Face Obstructed."

However, some researchers have come up with a workaround: Create a new FaceID profile while covering half of your face. Then, the phone should unlock even when your mask is on. According to a video by Abacus News, using a method developed by Tencent's Xuanwu Lab, the method didn't work at first, but it eventually did.

iPhone users can set up an alternate appearance by going to Settings, followed by Face ID and Passcode, and then "Set Up an Alternative Appearance."

Meanwhile, actor Adam Shapiro had another creative idea: "Print a photo of your nose and mouth and tape onto your mask so you can still open your phone with FaceID."

That may sound like a joke, but you can actually order a surgical mask with an image of your own face, through FaceIDMasks.com.

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. 

Image: Reuters.