Apple Releases First watchOS 7.4 Public Beta With iPhone Unlocking Feature

by

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.

applewatchse
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 profile installed. To update to the new software, the ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌‌.

Alongside iOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4 introduces a new "Unlock with Apple Watch" feature that lets an ‌iPhone‌ with Face ID use an unlocked and authenticated Apple Watch as a secondary authentication measure when you're wearing a mask, alleviating the need to enter a passcode to unlock the ‌iPhone‌.

iphone apple watch unlock
‌Face ID‌ does not work when wearing a mask, but this new Apple Watch feature provides an easy but still secure way to access the ‌iPhone‌ without the hassle of a passcode. It's similar to the Apple Watch unlocking on Mac and can be enabled in the Settings app under ‌Face ID‌ & Passcode.

An unlocked Apple Watch paired with ‌Face ID‌ can unlock the ‌iPhone‌ when a mask is worn, but it's only for mask usage. The Apple Watch cannot be used to authenticate Apple Pay or App Store purchases, nor can it be used to unlock apps that require a ‌Face ID‌ scan. In these situations, the mask will need to be removed or a passcode/password will need to be used instead.

iphone apple watch unlock 2
When the Apple Watch unlocks the ‌iPhone‌, you'll feel a haptic tap on the wrist and will receive a notification on the watch, similar to how it works when using the watch to unlock a Mac.

For those who use Apple Fitness+, the watchOS 7.4 update combined with iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 enables AirPlay 2 for Apple Fitness+, so workouts can be streamed to an ‌AirPlay‌ 2-enabled TV or set-top box. Apple Watch metrics do not show up on the screen when AirPlayed, however, and that feature is limited to ‌iPhone‌/iPad/Apple TV.

watchOS 7.4 is going to be available in a beta capacity for several weeks, with Apple planning to release the update in the early spring.

Related Roundup: watchOS 26
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
Read Full Article • 211 comments
iPhone Air

Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

Wednesday October 22, 2025 3:22 am PDT by
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports. The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
Read Full Article • 496 comments
sam sung auction

Former Apple Employee Sam Sung Changed His Name to Avoid Attention

Wednesday October 22, 2025 4:44 pm PDT by
Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple's main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name. Someone posted an image of Sung's Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly....
Read Full Article • 69 comments
cadillac lyric infotainment

GM to Remove CarPlay from All Future Vehicles, Including Gas Cars

Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down. In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
Read Full Article • 368 comments
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple's Plan to Launch Three New iPhone Designs Allegedly Revealed

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:24 am PDT by
Apple plans to launch a new type of iPhone every year for the foreseeable future, according to an Asia-based source. The detailed information was shared by the account "yeux1122" in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver, citing domestic trend and component research companies. Corroborating other reports, Apple will apparently launch its first foldable iPhone in 2026, featuring a...
Read Full Article • 128 comments
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
Read Full Article • 163 comments
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
Read Full Article • 110 comments
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
Read Full Article • 35 comments
kohler toilet sensor

Kohler Launches $600 iPhone-Connected Toilet Camera That Monitors Your Health Through Waste Analysis

Monday October 20, 2025 1:42 pm PDT by
Kohler is expanding its line of bathroom products with Dekoda, an iPhone-connected device that's designed to be attached to a toilet rim (via The Verge). The device's included "sensors" point into the toilet bowl, allowing it to analyze what goes on in the bathroom. According to Kohler, Dekoda is a health tracker that can monitor gut health and hydration, as well as detect the presence of...
Read Full Article • 190 comments

Top Rated Comments

BC2009 Avatar
BC2009
62 months ago
I think it’s hilarious that this article points out that you cannot use your watch to unlock Apple Pay on the phone. If I am wearing my watch I am going to use that 100% of the time to pay at a terminal over using my iPhone — especially since Face ID made Apple Pay at a terminal way more awkward than Touch ID and then it went from awkward to unusable with masks.

Apple Watch is by far the best way to use Apple Pay. I still have people look in me in awe and say “you can pay with the Apple Watch?” because they have been paying with their iPhone “like an animal”.

Only time to use Apple Pay on the phone is when shopping on a website in safari that takes Apple Pay. So not very often.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
farewelwilliams
62 months ago
Can't wait until I pull out my iPhone that waits for a response from my Apple Watch only to fail after 5 seconds like my MacBook does.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
windywalks Avatar
windywalks
62 months ago
I've had the developer beta for a couple of hours now and I've had a slight delay maybe once or twice out of countless times I pulled the phone out of my pocket to unlock it with my masked face, iPhone 11 Pro Max and Watch Series 4 combo.
I'm totally on board with this solution - typing in my passcode felt like regressing back to the iPhone 4 times.
This brings back the comfort we've had in the first place.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coachgq Avatar
coachgq
62 months ago
But it wasn’t a mistake they could see coming and personally, without the mask, I prefer faceID over touchID all day.

Agreed. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or what, but this happens all the time. They're like 6 inches from each other and still nothing.

I applaud any way to unlock with a mask, but this just makes it even more obvious that abandoning TouchID was a terrible mistake, IMO.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GDF Avatar
GDF
62 months ago

Also it only works on wifi
What does? Apple Watch can unlock iPhone with mask on cellular or WiFi.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gizmotoy Avatar
Gizmotoy
62 months ago

But it wasn’t a mistake they could see coming and personally, without the mask, I prefer faceID over touchID all day.
I understand some like it, but it adds so much latency to getting into the phone. It's not a dealbreaker, but I can't think of a single advantage it offers over TouchID (at least for how I use my phone - I'm curious why you like it more). IMO it's what we have to put up with in exchange for an edge-to-edge screen, not a feature unto itself. With TouchID the phone is unlocked before it's even all the way out of my pocket. The speed is improved on the 12s, but it's impossible to compete with "already unlocked." Then the mask stuff happened and added an even more severe check in the Cons column.

Really hoping the iPhone 13 TouchID rumor is true.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments