Apple will soon let you unlock your iPhone as long as you’re wearing an Apple Watch. That means it will be a lot easier to unlock your phone while wearing a mask, which you currently have to remove for Face ID to work.
The feature will launch sometime this spring when Apple rolls out ioS 14.5 for iPhones and the corresponding Apple Watch update. It requires that you have an Apple Watch on your wrist, unlocked, and with its own passcode.
It works really well. You may be familiar with the process if you have a Mac and an Apple Watch — you can already unlock a Mac just by coming near it wearing your Apple Watch, for example. The experience is really similar with the iPhone.
If you have a mask on (or even if you don’t), just swipe up from the bottom of the screen on your iPhone. Your iPhone will scan part of your face and your Apple Watch will give a little buzz indicating that it was used to unlock your iPhone. It unlocks in an instant, just like Face ID does when you don’t have a mask on.
I tested it with more than just a mask, too. I held up my shirt covering all but my forehead and eyes, and that worked. It didn’t work when I blocked my whole face, or if I tried unlocking the phone without being in front of it. Here’s how you’ll be able to set it up when iOS 14.5 comes out.
As Published by CNBC
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