MTA RIPS TECH
Says iPhone feature leads riders to unmask
The MTA’s push for straphangers to wear masks is being undermined by software that allows people to scan their faces to unlock their iPhones, transit officials said Monday.
The feature, called Face ID, undercuts a Metropolitan Transportation Authority rule for all transit riders to cover their mouths and noses to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Cameras on iPhones must see someone’s mouth and nose for the Face ID tool to work — and many riders are pulling down their masks while on subways and buses in order to use the feature, MTA Chairman Patrick Foye wrote in a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
“We urge Apple to accelerate the deployment of new technologies and solutions that further protect customers in the era of COVID-19,” Foye wrote. “Upgrades enabling users to unlock their phones while keeping their masks securely covering their nose and mouth would be beneficial in all public spaces, not just on public transportation.”
Apple recently updated its operating system so iPhone owners can more easily unlock their devices with a pass code instead of their faces — but Foye said it doesn’t go far enough to keep people from pulling down their masks. He said the company should put out push notifications reminding users of the pass code option.
Apple spokeswoman Michele Wyman said the company is “fully committed to continuing to work with the MTA to support their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” and urged iPhone owners to upgrade their software.
MTA surveys this summer found more than 90% of subway riders abide by the mask requirement. Ridership on the system has rebounded to more than 1.3 million trips per weekday after falling to roughly 420,000 in early April, when New York was the epicenter of the pandemic.
This isn’t the first rift between the tech giant and the MTA.
Dozens of transit riders in January complained they’d been charged an extra fare through the MTA’s new tap-and-pay OMNY system after they already swiped a MetroCard at the turnstile.
The glitch was due to Apple’s “Express Transit” payment option, which was automatically enabled on iPhones and triggered an OMNY payment whenever someone’s phone was close to a reader.