iOS 14.7 Bug May Prevent iPhones With Touch ID From Automatically Unlocking Apple Watch

Following the release of iOS 14.7, watchOS 7.6, and several other operating system updates this week, Apple has acknowledged that a bug in iOS 14.7 could prevent users from being able to unlock their Apple Watches by simply unlocking their paired Touch ID-equipped iPhones.

iphone unlock apple watch
Apple's temporary workaround for the bug is for the user to type their passcode into their Apple Watch to unlock it rather than relying on their iPhone, and Apple says the issue will be addressed in a future software update.

Users who have forgotten their Apple Watch passcodes will need to reset their Apple Watches. Enterprise users whose iPhones are loaded with MDM profiles that require alphanumeric passcodes will need to work with their MDM administrators to remove the passcode requirement and then unpair, erase, and set up their Apple Watches again.

We have seen a few signs of iOS 14.7.1 in our site analytics over the past few days, so this will presumably be a relatively short turnaround on a bug fix update rather than a more significant update with an extended beta testing period. We have not seen any sign of a larger iOS 14.8 update in our analytics, and we expect that we will only see minor bug fix updates until Apple officially releases iOS 15 in a few months.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on iPhone Feature

Here's When iOS 26 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: Out Now!]

Monday September 15, 2025 12:00 am PDT by
Update 10:06 a.m.: iOS 26 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Today's the day! Apple is about to release iOS 26, which will deliver the biggest redesign since iOS 7 and bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at last week's iPhone event that...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

Apple Says Installing iOS 26 Might Impact Battery Life

Monday September 15, 2025 10:56 am PDT by
In the iOS 26 release notes, Apple is warning iPhone users that installing the new software might have a temporary impact on battery life, which is normal. A new support document explains that major iOS updates require background setup like indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. Further, Apple says that new features could require more resources,...
apple n1 chip

Apple's New N1 Chip in iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Has a Wi-Fi 7 Limitation

Saturday September 13, 2025 10:01 am PDT by
The latest iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air models are equipped with Apple's all-new N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity. However, the chip has a Wi-Fi 7 bandwidth limitation. According to FCC documents reviewed by MacRumors, the N1 chip in all of the new iPhone models supports up to 160 MHz channel bandwidth for Wi-Fi 7, short of the...
iphone 17 lineup

iPhone 17 Models Launch on September 19 With These New Features

Friday September 12, 2025 7:58 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 lineup and ultra-thin iPhone Air in stores on Friday, September 19, and the company has already shown off the new devices at its fall event, which ran with the the tagline "Awe dropping." The iPhone 17 series brings a host of new features and enhancements. Here's a rundown of the biggest upgrades and changes: iPhone 17 Display Changes The iPhone...
iphone air all colors

iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Now Facing Extended Delivery Estimates

Saturday September 13, 2025 11:43 am PDT by
iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air pre-orders began on Friday in the U.S. and many other countries. iPhone 17 Pro Max delivery estimates quickly slipped beyond the Friday, September 19 launch day for those who had yet to place an order, and now the rest of the new models have started to follow suit. As of shortly after 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time today, select iPhone 17, ...
iPhone 17 Pro Air Boxes

iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Boxes Revealed

Sunday September 14, 2025 1:36 pm PDT by
T-Mobile President Jon Freier today shared real-world photos of Apple's boxes for the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 models, which launch on Friday. Image Credit: Jon Freier Apple has typically included iPhone box renders in its product environmental reports, but it did not do so for the latest models. However, Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program page does offer some images of the boxes, ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...

Top Rated Comments

MacDevil7334 Avatar
54 months ago
I just don’t understand how this keeps happening with iOS updates. 14.7 went through like 5 beta versions that were publicly available. Does Apple just go and drop untested code into the final release version? We get these “bugs that didn’t show up in the betas” like every 2-3 releases it seems. What is going on?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
insomniac86 Avatar
54 months ago
Good work beta testers ?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Marshall73 Avatar
54 months ago
This rarely ever works for me anyway.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wildkraut Avatar
54 months ago

Good work beta testers ?
Well, it’s not the unpaid beta testers responsibility to test such things. Apple is sitting on a pile of money, and simply should invest more into QM and testing. Voluntary software testers can‘t replace paid testers. Anyway, I bet if you could go through all the existing bug reports, You’ll find it there.

?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stuipdboy1000 Avatar
54 months ago
I had an issue unlocking on a Face ID phone this morning so I think it’s maybe a bit more widespread than just Touch ID phones.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
54 months ago
This is exactly why I have not upgraded from iOS 13.7 yet, waiting on 14.7.1.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)