A pedestrian wearing a protective mask uses her cellphone as she walks past an Apple iPhone ad in Orchard Road in Singapore.
Wei Leng Tay | Bloomberg | Getty Images
With Apple, you can unlock your iPhone soon as long as you wear an Apple Watch. This means that it will be much easier to unlock your phone while wearing a mask, which you currently need to remove to make Face ID work.
The feature will be launched sometime this spring when Apple launches iOS 14.5 for iPhones and the corresponding Apple Watch update. It requires you to have an Apple Watch on your wrist, unlocked and with its own password code.
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 by accessing it with your Apple Watch, for example.
The experience is very similar to the iPhone. If you’re wearing a mask (or even if you do not have one), just wipe from below on your iPhone. Your iPhone will scan a portion of your face and your Apple Watch will give a little buzz to indicate that it was used to unlock your iPhone. It unlocks in an instant, just like Face ID when there is no mask on.
I also tested it with more than just a mask. I held my shirt up except for my forehead and eyes, and it worked. It did not work when I blocked my whole face, or when I tried to unlock the phone without being in front.
Here’s how to set it up when iOS 14.5 appears.
How to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch
Unlock my iPhone with my Apple Watch with iOS 14.5.
Todd Haselton | CNBC
I tested it using the iOS 14.5 beta. Once the software is available to everyone this spring, you can follow these steps to set it up.
- Open the settings on your iPhone.
- Tap on Face ID and password.
- Enter the password code of your iPhone.
- Scroll down to “Unlock with Apple Watch.”
- Turn the button next to your Apple Watch so that it is on.
That’s it. If you are now going to unlock your iPhone with a mask on, you will feel a soft buzz on your Apple Watch as it unlocks your iPhone.