Hopefully, we don’t need to tell you about the importance of wearing a mask, especially now that the world is still battling the COVID-19 pandemic. These new circumstances have also changed the way we interact with our devices. Apple has already responded to these changes. Let’s talk about how to unlock an iPhone while wearing a mask, in this case using an Apple Watch.
In this article, Niketrainers.com.co will tell you:
First check what you need
When we talk about how to unlock an iPhone with a face mask, we are talking about a (recently introduced) feature called “Unlock with Apple Watch”. To use this new feature, you need to meet the following requirements:
- iPhone with Face ID and iOS 14.5 or later
- Apple Watch Series 3 or later with watchOS 7.4 or later
If you haven’t updated your iPhone and Apple Watch in a while, now’s the time. To update iPhone, go to “Settings -> General -> Software Update”. To update your Apple Watch, go to “Watch App -> General -> Software Update” on your iPhone
How to set “Unlock with Apple Watch”
You will be surprised how easy it is to let the iPhone scan your face while wearing the mask. This procedure will only take a moment, so follow these quick steps:
1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and select “Face ID & Password”.
3. Enter your password when prompted.
4. Scroll down until you see the “Unlock with Apple Watch” section. The Apple Watch linked to your account appears in the list. Make sure it is turned on with the switch turned on.
5. Your iPhone will now ask you to confirm to enable this feature, giving you a brief introduction to how your iPhone will behave while wearing the mask. Click on “Activate”.
6. Activation of this function may take a while (about 30 seconds in our case).
How to unlock an iPhone while wearing a mask
Let’s put the above instructions into practice. After turning on “Unlock with Apple Watch,” below is how to unlock an iPhone with a mask.
1. Use this option with your face and Apple Watch. Your smartwatch needs to be unlocked, so enter your password if it isn’t.
2. Pick up your iPhone as if you had unlocked it. The phone will now scan your face and identify that you are wearing the mask.
3. As soon as you look at your phone, it will be unlocked. Now you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to start using it. Your Apple Watch will give you a quick warning informing you that your iPhone is unlocked.
Finally, we have some more valuable advice. Note that the “Unlock with Apple Watch” feature does not use Face ID to identify you. This means that you can only use it to unlock your iPhone. In other words, you can’t use it to verify your identity, use Apple Pay, or access password-protected apps.
Conclusion
The above describes how to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask. While we still have your attention, we’d like to provide you with a few more resources. See how to use Siri shortcuts on your Apple Watch and how to set up sleep tracking on your watch.