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How to unlock an iPhone with Apple Watch keeping your face mask on

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Jul 06, 2021, 7:49 AM

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How to unlock an iPhone with Apple Watch keeping your face mask on

Apple just outed the iOS 14.5 update to the general public, and this one is the richest iOS 14 version so far in terms of functions added to your iPhone. Among the top new iOS 14.5 features is perhaps the tighter integration with Apple Watch, whose watchOS 7.4 has also been released.

Why would Apple introduce deeper connection with its own wearable, though? Well, because you can't unlock your iPhone with a mask on now, that's why. We kid, but the ability to unlock your iPhone via your Apple Watch instead of the dreaded mask-averse Face ID routine, called simply Apple Watch Unlock, will be an integral part of the iOS 14.5 update.

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How to use the Apple Watch iPhone Unlock feature in the iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 updates

Go to Settings>Face ID&Passcode.
Switch on the toggle.
Wear your Apple Watch with watchOS 7.4 and wrist detection on.
Have your Apple Watch unlocked and with passcode enabled.
Let Face ID recognize you are wearing a mask.
The Apple Watch will vibrate, notifying you that it has authenticated an iPhone unlock.
Keep your mask on.

Needless to say, this looks like a stopgap solution to iPhone unlocking until Apple introduces the 2021 iPhone 13 with under-display Touch ID finger scanners. Naturally, Apple didn't plan for the COVID pandemic, leaving masked users of the sole biometric means to unlock their iPhone in a bind.

The Apple Watch Unlock feature would only work for unlocking, too, not authorizing Apple Pay purchases, credit card information in Safari, or any such sensitive matters. Hey, it's like the Unlock Apple Watch when you unlock your iPhone feature, but in reverse, more like the Unlock your Mac with the Apple Watch... but with a mask on.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.