iOS 14.5 Adds an Option to Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch if You're Wearing a Mask
With the iOS 14.5 update, Apple is finally adding a solution that makes it easier to unlock an iPhone when you're wearing a mask. Right now, with a face mask on, Face ID does not work, requiring those wearing masks to enter a passcode to unlock their devices, a process that is time consuming and inconvenient.
In iOS 14.5, there's a new option to unlock an iPhone with Face ID and an Apple Watch paired together, with the Apple Watch's authentication providing an extra layer of security.
If you're wearing an unlocked Apple Watch and use Face ID as you normally would, the iPhone will unlock after a partial face scan. When the unlock happens, you'll feel a haptic buzz and will receive a notification on the Apple Watch informing you that the unlocking procedure was successful, similar to how it works when unlocking a Mac with an Apple Watch.
As noted by Engadget, this feature must be manually enabled to use it, and there's also an option to lock the iPhone from the Apple Watch. Things like App Store purchases and Apple Pay payments will not be able to be authenticated through the Face ID + Apple Watch pairing, so you'll still need full Face ID authentication or a passcode for some actions.
iOS 14.5 also introduces support for the latest Xbox and Playstation controllers, it adds AirPlay 2 support for Apple Fitness+, it brings dual-SIM 5G support, and there's a new feature for asking Siri to call emergency services.
Top Stories
Apple today seeded the RC version of an upcoming watchOS 7.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming two weeks release of the seventh beta and over two months after the launch of watchOS 7.3 with "Time to Walk" functionality, expanded ECG availability, and a new Unity watch face.
To install the watchOS 7.4 beta, developers need to download the proper...
Wednesday February 17, 2021 11:06 am PST by
Juli CloverApple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.4 update to public beta testers, with the new beta coming two weeks after the first public beta and a day after the release of the second developer beta.
The watchOS 7.4 update can be downloaded after upgrading your iPhone to the public beta version of iOS 14.5. After installing iOS 14.5, the watchOS 7.4 software should show up,...
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.4 update to public beta testers, with the new beta coming a few days after the release of the first developer beta.
The watchOS 7.4 update can be downloaded after upgrading your iPhone to the public beta version of iOS 14.5. After installing iOS 14.5, the watchOS 7.4 software should show up as long as you have the Apple Watch...
Update: iOS 14.5 is now available. Our full coverage:
Apple Releases iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 With Apple Watch iPhone Unlocking, Dual-SIM 5G Support, Apple Maps Accident Crowdsourcing and Tons More How to Unlock Your iPhone With Your Apple Watch When Wearing a Mask Apple Releases watchOS 7.4 With iPhone Unlocking, Apple Fitness+ AirPlay 2 Support
Apple Releases macOS Big Sur 11.3 With M1...
Apple on Tuesday seeded the release candidate of an upcoming watchOS 7.4 update to developers for testing purposes, and in the process revealed that the Apple Watch ECG feature is coming to additional countries very soon.
Along with iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, the official public version of watchOS 7.4 is set to be released next week, and Apple Watch users who install it in Australia and...
Apple today seeded the eighth betas of upcoming iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta updates coming one week after Apple released the seventh iOS and iPadOS 14.5 betas.
iOS and iPadOS 14.5 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.
iOS 14.5 is the...
With the launch of iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4, Apple introduced a feature that's designed to allow people wearing masks to unlock their iPhones with a paired and authenticated Apple Watch, alleviating the need to continually enter a passcode.
Apple has published a support document outlining how the feature works and the requirements that enable it to function. Apple says that the Apple Watch...
Apple today released the iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 beta updates for developers, and included in the new software is a feature that's designed to make it easier to unlock an iPhone while wearing a mask by leveraging the Apple Watch.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. An opt-in setting lets you turn on a feature that allows an iPhone to be unlocked with both Face ID and...
Apple today seeded the seventh betas of upcoming iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta updates coming one week after Apple released the sixth iOS and iPadOS 14.5 betas.
iOS and iPadOS 14.5 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.
iOS 14.5 is the...
Apple's plans to bring Face ID authentication to the Mac this year have been delayed, according to a recent report.
Face ID debuted in 2017's iPhone X and has been a key feature of Apple's flagship iPhones ever since, with the iPad Pro also gaining the facial recognition system in 2018. Apple's Face ID feature allows a device to be unlocked with a facial scan and is limited to the...
Top Rated Comments
(and hilarious icon)