Apple today released iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 developer beta updates, and the new software includes a feature that makes it easier to unlock an iPhone while wearing a mask by using the Apple Watch.
An opt-in setting allows you to enable a feature that can unlock an iPhone using both Face ID and a verified Apple Watch combined. You can find this setting by opening the Settings app, going to the Face ID & Passcode section, entering your passcode, then turning on “Unlock with Apple Watch”.
Both iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 are required to enable this feature, and once enabled you can start unlocking your iPhone with an unlocked and verified Apple Watch while wearing a mask. The first time you unlock your iPhone with Apple Watch after turning on the feature, you will need to enter a passcode, but after that, unlocking Apple Watch is smooth, seamless and fast.
When you wear a mask and start using Face ID, you will feel a haptic vibration on your wrist and let you know that your iPhone is unlocked with your watch via a notification that appears on your wrist.
Face ID works as normal on the iPhone, so you will only feel the difference through the Apple Watch, although there is sometimes a small delay saying “unlock ingiPhone with Apple Watch.” This seems to depend on the distance between your iPhone and your watch, and if your verified watch is too far away, you will be told to move it closer.
Every time you unlock you feel the vibration and see the popup, and it’s generally an interface that looks like the one that appears when you unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch. Unlocking a Mac via a verified Apple Watch has long been a feature.
You cannot make Apple Pay or App Store purchases with the Apple Watch, nor can you use it for authentication in apps that use Face ID. In these situations, you still need to remove your mask and use the standard Face ID verification or enter a passcode.
For those concerned about security or possible bypass of authentication with this method, the feature is fully opt-in and not enabled by default. You need an unlocked Apple Watch to do this, so you cannot use it with an Apple Watch that is not unlocked via the iPhone or your Apple Watch passcode.
Overall, unlocking a iPhone with a paired Apple Watch is just as seamless as unlocking with standard Face ID, and it’s about as fast, so this will be a welcome change for those frustrated with using an iPhone while wearing a mask. Future iPhones may include in-display Touch ID in addition to Face ID, but for now this is a useful solution for iPhone owners who also have an Apple Watch.