iOS 14.5 includes a major enhancement to using Face ID on your iPhone while wearing a mask. With the first developer beta of iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4, your iPhone will now automatically unlock if you wear a face mask.
In addition to the transparency controls and support of App Tracking with AirPlay 2 with Apple Fitness +, iOS 14.5 includes this significant change in how Face ID works with face masks.
As reported by Joanna Stern of The Wall Street Journal, the new “Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch” feature works when Face ID detects that you are wearing a face mask. If you wear a mask, Stern explains, and have an open Apple Watch watch on your wrist, your iPhone will unlock with Face ID.
One thing to keep in mind here is that if you disable the Apple Watch wrist tracking feature, your iPhone will not be able to unlock with your Apple Watch. Apple says:
iPhone can use your Apple Watch to unlock when Face ID detects a face with a mask. Your Apple Watch should be close, on your wrist, unlocked and password protected.
For security reasons, you can also quickly lock your iPhone back on your Apple Watch.
This is the second notable change Apple has made to how Face ID works with face masks. Last April, with the release of iOS 13.5, Apple made it easier to skip the Face ID prompt while wearing a mask by automatically presenting the password screen.
We’re still diving into this feature to learn more, but it’s a major change in how the iPhone and Apple Watch work together. This is a feature that many users have been appealing to Apple since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and even before.
Let us know in the comments below or if you see any other changes in iOS 14.5 beta 1, or the other new betas from Apple today. Twitter @ 9to5Mac. Stay up to date with our full coverage with the new versions here 9to5Mac today.
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