Apple Watch wearers can now use their smartwatch to unlock an iPhone, and even while they are wearing a face mask or covering. The addition of support became available as part of the iOS 14.5 update, along with new emoji options, Siri voices, and increased privacy controls through Apple’s App Tracking Transparency changes.
Unlocking an iPhone through Face ID can be an easier and quicker solution than using other authentication measures. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased wearing of face masks has made the use of the feature all the more harder. Due to this, Apple has been working for some time on a way to authenticate a user through Face ID without actually using Face ID. Previously, this required the total bypassing of the facial recognition feature, but now the Apple Watch can step in and act as a bridge for those times when the Face ID tech is not able to fully authenticate the user’s face, such as while wearing a face mask or covering.
Following the upgrade to iOS 14.5, Apple Watch wearers now have the option of using their smartwatch to unlock their iPhone. Although this is a Face ID-based solution, it technically bypasses Face ID. Essentially, if a user is wearing their Apple Watch and it is unlocked while in close proximity to the locked smartphone, then the iPhone will use the smartwatch’s location and ownership to verify the user. The user simply looks at their iPhone as usual and they will then receive a haptic feedback response via the Apple Watch to confirm the iPhone has been unlocked.
Getting Started & Apple Watch Unlock Limitations
![Unlock iPhone With Apple Watch: How It Works & Getting Started](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Apple-WatchOS-logo-and-version-7-watch-face.jpg)
Before getting started and unlocking an iPhone with an Apple Watch, the feature will need to be enabled. This can be done fairly easily and quickly by heading to the iPhone’s settings menu and then navigating to the Face ID & Passcode section. Here, the user can scroll down and enable Unlock With Apple Watch. Depending on the setup, the user may be asked to verify their account through an existing security measure, such as entering their iPhone passcode. The passcode may also need to be entered once again after the first time a device unlock with Apple Watch is attempted.
Although the feature is included in iOS 14.5, there are some limitations that users will want to be aware of. The first is that the iPhone will need to have been updated to the latest operating system version. Likewise, the Apple Watch will also need to be running a minimum of watchOS 7.4. In addition, there are also limitations on the actual devices that support the feature. For example, Unlock iPhone With Apple Watch is currently only compatible with iPhone models dating back to the iPhone X and Apple Watch models dating back to Series 3.
While only a small change, it should prove to be a useful one and long after users are concerned about the effects of the pandemic. Furthermore, Apple has also made it just as easy to lock the iPhone again by quickly tapping on the Lock iPhone button that appears on the Apple Watch display while the iPhone is unlocked.