How to install Apple’s watchOS 7 and iOS 14 betas so you can unlock your phone with your watch

Apple’s iOS 14.5 beta is out, and with it, you can have Apple Watch unlock your Face ID-protected phone if you happen to be wearing a mask. If you really want this feature right now, you need to download the latest iOS and watchOS betas – something that is at least a bit risky as it is incomplete software. There are bugs and features may change between updates. There have been reports in the past of watches decorated by betas (although I did not find anything for this version).

With all that said, I’ve been using the betas since they came out, and I have not noticed anything that behaves particularly buggy. So if you’re willing to take the wind out to access the new Apple Watch unlocking feature, you can get the betas here.

First, start with beta.apple.com on your iPhone. If you have never participated in a public beta before, you must tap the sign up button, and if so, you can tap the sign up button.

After logging in, tap the arrow on the header and go to Enroll Your Devices. I recommend following Apple’s advice to make an archived backup of your device, as iCloud backup will not necessarily be accessible if you need to back up from a beta. Apple explains how to make one on the Enroll page. Go on, I’ll be here when you get back.

After backing up your device, you can scroll down and tap the Download profile button, and your phone will let you know that you need to review the profile before installing it.

Before doing so, however, we need to grab the watch profile by scrolling up and selecting WatchOS from the list. There you can tap on the Download Profile button and then press Allow.

This will open the Watch app automatically, where you can press Install. This will recharge your watch, so let’s install the phone profile by going to Settings and then Downloading Profile.

There you can tap the Install button, and your phone will restart.

After downloading the profiles and restarting your devices, you need to update your phone and then your watch. Unfortunately, you have to wait until the phone is updated before you can even start on the watch, so you can not multitask.

Once you officially use iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4, we can finally activate the unlock with the watch feature.

Go to Settings> Face ID and password and scroll down to the new Unlock With Apple Watch option. If you turn it on, the feature will be turned on; you do not have to do anything on the watch.

Now that you’ve installed it, this is what you can expect. First, and the most important thing to note is that your phone does not search your face with a mask, it is looking for a face with a mask. If this woman was on, if my wife was wearing a mask, she could unlock my phone without any problem if I was within three feet.

Apple’s mitigation is when you use your Apple Watch to unlock your phone, it buzzes you with a notification that your phone is unlocked, along with a button to unlock it. If you press the lock button, your phone will be locked immediately and you will need a password code at the next unlock.

With the reservation out of the way, I have had great success with the feature so far. I have tried it with a variety of masks, and it works with everyone for me. It is noteworthy that it again seeks a face with a mask. This feature will not help you in the situation where your phone is on the table and you want to unlock it without the Face ID camera being able to see you.

For me, it’s not a big advantage to enter my password code every time I want to go check my grocery list while shopping, and it’s worth considering that these are relatively minor security judgments. The feature may not be for those with super-secret information on their cell phones, but for everyone else it’s a great quality of life enhancement, whether you decide whether you want to wait for the official release.