You can now unlock your iPhone with an Apple Watch when wearing a mask

A woman sits indoors, holding a smartphone in front of her. A facial recognition grid is projected on her face, indicating the device is using Face ID to scan her. She has her hair tied up in a bun and is wearing a brown turtleneck sweater.
Female scans face using facial recognition system on smartphone for biometric identification. Future digital high tech technology and face id

You’ll finally be able to unlock your iPhone when wearing a mask in a future iOS 14 update, with Apple introducing a solution that involves authentication when wearing an Apple Watch.

As part of the iOS 14.5 release, Apple Watch owners who have paired their Apple Watches to their iPhones can use the new feature, which is designed to offer an additional layer of security and overcome the challenges of face authentication when wearing a face mask.

Users who are wearing an unlocked Apple Watch can turn on a new feature, which will then trigger Face ID to perform a partial face scan and unlock the iPhone. When Apple unlocks your iPhone, your Apple Watch will perform a haptic buzz to confirm the unlocking was successful, which works in a similar way to how it does when unlocking a macOS device.

To use this feature, you’ll need to head to your Settings menu and turn it on when it launches later this year. It’s worth noting that this only works for unlocking your phone – you won’t be able to use your Apple Watch for things such as App Store purchases or Apple Pay on iOS.

Apple’s iOS 14.5 beta introduces a number of new features designed to make life easier – we’ll be bringing you more news on what’s included as we delve deeper into the release.

Advanced Tip: Unlock any phone from any carrier

Mobile Unlocked U.S (How to Unlock a Phone from a Carrier) has an online service allowing you to use your phone across the network of your choice. You need an IMEI number to begin the process of unlocking your phone online.

Are you looking forward to this? Let us know and check back soon for more news.

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