Unlock Your IPhone With Apple Watch While Wearing a Face Mask
Apple’s iOS 13.5 update made your iPhone jump to a secondary authentication method faster when trying to use Face ID with a face mask, but it’s still a tricky process that you have to go through every time you want to unlock your iPhone. … iOS 14.5 fixes this by adding a new automatic unlock option for those with an Apple Watch. Yes, and it’s too good a feature to wait.
I say wait because iOS 14.5 is not technically available to the general public yet. Apple is testing the update as part of a developer beta – this cool phrase suggests you might get errors if you decide to install it on your iPhone right now. I come back to this question; I love having access to the latest features, but having a slow or otherwise fussy iPhone – especially if it’s my primary device – isn’t the best experience.
However, in these times of pandemic, having to touch my iPhone after I’m used to the amazing convenience of Face ID isn’t much fun either. So much so that I’m going to go ahead and install the iOS 14.5 beta. What’s the worst that could have happened?
If you’d like to join me, here’s how you can get into this beta, usually aimed at developers. To get started, back up your iPhone, whether you send it to iCloud (via Settings> Apple ID> iCloud> iCloud Backup ) or connect your iPhone to your computer and back it up manually. This is important as you will want to revert to your regular operating system if the beta contains too many bugs for your liking.
Then open Safari on your iPhone and navigate to Beta Profiles . Click Download in the iOS 14.5 Beta box and don’t get stuck on the warning screen:
When your iPhone prompts you to download the configuration profile to your device, click Allow. Then close Safari and open the application “Settings”. Click on General> Profile where you will find the profile you just downloaded. Click on it and then click ” Install” in the upper right corner. Ultimately, you will be prompted to restart your iPhone as part of the installation process. Do it.
Once your iPhone boots up, tap Settings again and then General> Software Update . You can now download the iOS 14.5 Developer Beta (if it hasn’t started yet).
Once that’s done, you’ll find the new Apple Watch unlock feature under Settings> Face ID & Password . However, you will also need to repeat these steps to install the watchOS 7.4 developer beta (by updating your Apple Watch as usual at the end, instead of going to the iPhone Software Update section).
Don’t assume this handy feature will work every time you use your iPhone with your Apple Watch. Designed for life in a pandemic, this feature requires your iPhone to detect that you are wearing a face mask. If so, and you’re also wearing your (password-enabled and unlocked) Apple Watch, your iPhone will automatically unlock. If you’re not wearing a mask, you’ll have to unlock your iPhone the old fashioned way.