NEW YORK - The MTA is asking Apple to come up with a better way for iPhone users to unlock their phones without taking off their masks.

MTA Chairman Pat Foye sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking them to expedite their ongoing effort to update their Face ID to recognize a user, mask or no mask. 

He said the MTA has seen people taking off their masks to unlock their phones. 

In May, Apple released a software upgrade that made it so the passcode prompt would appear instead of having to retry Face ID several times. But the MTA says people removing their masks is still a problem and wants a further update. 

Apple said they are fully committed to continuing to work with the MTA to support their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.