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How to Unlock Your iPhone With Your Apple Watch When Wearing a Mask

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This article covers a new beta option in iOS that lets you unlock an iPhone with Face ID and an Apple Watch paired together, even if you’re wearing a face mask. Read on to learn how it works.

Apple introduced its Face ID facial recognition system in November 2017 with the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ X, offering users an even simpler way to unlock their smartphone than traditional fingerprint recognition.

Following the now-mainstream usage of face masks, however, Apple’s biometric feature has been handicapped, leaving many users having to enter their passcode to unlock their device when in public spaces.

Fortunately, Apple has responded to this change in our everyday lives by introducing a new feature that allows ‌iPhone‌ users wearing an Apple Watch to unlock their smartphone via Face ID through a partial face scan, when they’re wearing a mask.

The process is similar to how it works when unlocking a Mac with an Apple Watch. When the unlock happens, the user receives a haptic buzz and a notification on the Apple Watch informing them that the unlocking procedure has been successful. However, bear in mind that you can only use your Apple Watch to unlock your ‌iPhone‌ while wearing a mask – it can’t be used for authenticating Apple Pay or App Store purchases.

Before you can take advantage of the new feature, you’ll need to make sure that you’re running either a developer beta or the public betas of iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4. You’ll need the ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch profiles from Apple’s beta testing website, and after you have them installed, you can update on ‌iPhone‌ by going to Settings -> General -> Software Update. To update your Apple Watch, install iOS 14.5 and then launch the Watch app on your ‌iPhone‌, tap the My Watch tab at the bottom of the screen, then select General -> Software Update.

What You’ll Need

  • ‌iPhone‌ X or later with Face ID
  • Apple Watch Series 3 or later
  • iOS 14.5 or later installed on ‌iPhone‌
  • watchOS 7.4 or later installed on Apple Watch

The iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 updates are currently available for both public beta testers and developers, with a public release expected this spring.

How to Set Up Unlock iPhone With Apple Watch

  1. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌.
  2. Select Face ID & Passcode.
  3. Enter your ‌iPhone‌’s passcode.
  4. Scroll down to the section labeled “Unlock With Apple Watch” and toggle the switch next to Apple Watch to the green ON position. (If the option is greyed out, you need to update the version of watchOS on your Apple Watch.)

How to Unlock Your iPhone With Apple Watch

To use your Apple Watch to unlock your ‌iPhone‌, your watch needs to be nearby, on your wrist, unlocked, and protected by a passcode. If you haven’t set up a passcode yet, launch the Watch app on your ‌iPhone‌, select Passcode -> Turn Passcode On, then enter the passcode you want to use (you’ll have to do so twice to confirm.)


The first time you attempt to unlock your ‌iPhone‌ with Apple Watch when wearing a mask, your ‌iPhone‌ will ask you to enter your passcode. Once you’ve done that, all subsequent attempts to unlock your ‌iPhone‌ when wearing a mask will be swift and seamless, with each successful unlock accompanied by a short haptic buzz on your wrist. You’ll need to re-enter your passcode if you remove your watch and the first time you set it up each day.

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How to use the new ‘Unlock with Apple Watch’ iPhone feature

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Apple this week released the first developer and public betas of iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4, bringing a major change to the integration between iPhone and Apple Watch. For the first time, you can now use your Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone when you’re wearing a face mask. Here’s how it works.

There are few things worth noting right off the bat. First and foremost, this requires the latest developer or public betas of iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4. If you don’t want to hop on the beta train, we expect iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 to be released to the general public sometime in the next few months.

Unlock your iPhone with Apple Watch

To enable the Unlock with Apple Watch feature, open the Settings app on your iPhone, then look for the “Face ID & Passcode” setting. Once you flip this toggle, your Apple Watch will be able to authenticate your iPhone as long as the following conditions are met:

  • Face ID detects a mask
  • Your Apple Watch is nearby
  • Your Apple Watch is on your wrist
  • Your Apple Watch is unlocked
  • Your Apple Watch has a passcode enabled

Another thing to keep in mind here is that if you disable the Apple Watch wrist detection feature, then you will not be able to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch.

iOS 14.5 beta video walkthrough

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Once you enable the feature, your iPhone will unlock automatically with your Apple Watch the next time you wear a face mask. When your iPhone unlocks, you’ll receive a haptic feedback notification on your Apple Watch telling you that your iPhone was unlocked by the Apple Watch. There is also the option to quickly “Lock iPhone” directly from that Apple Watch notification.

9to5Mac’s Take

The feature is similar to how the Apple Watch unlock feature works on the Mac, but it appears to be both faster and more reliable in my early testing. On the Mac, the Apple Watch can be used for a variety of different authentication tasks, including accessing controls in System Preferences, making Apple Pay purchases, and more.

On the iPhone, Apple Watch unlock is limited solely to unlocking your iPhone while wearing your mask. It does not work if your iPhone can’t detect if you’re wearing a mask, and it does not work for things like Apple Pay, credit card auto-fill in Safari, or accessing Apple Card features in the Wallet app. In those instances, you’ll still have to enter your passcode if you’re wearing a mask.

The “Lock iPhone” button is an important security step as it allows you to re-lock your iPhone if it were to be unlocked by someone else wearing a face mask. It does not appear that this feature is scanning for your face at all. Instead, it is simply looking for a face mask, and when it registers a face mask — whether it’s on you or someone else — it will use proximity to unlock with your Apple Watch.

Ultimately, what’s important to keep in mind here is that the Unlock with Apple Watch feature is not as secure as unlocking with Face or a passcode, but it is far more convenient.

Despite its limitations, support for unlocking your iPhone with your Apple Watch while wearing a mask is a huge change amid the COVID-19 pandemic. What do you think of the feature? Let us know down in the comments!

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Technology

Apple tests new way to unlock an iPhone without removing a face mask

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Apple (AAPL) is testing new iOS software that will allow people to unlock their iPhone’s face recognition security tool, Face ID, if they also happen to be wearing an Apple Watch.
Currently, Face ID recognizes when someone is wearing a mask and triggers the passcode entry screen to appear — an update Apple started testing in May.

But the latest update, which is part of a developer beta test likely to roll out broadly soon, will allow an iPhone to communicate with a synced Apple Watch when the phone is raised to use Face ID.

When authentication is completed — the devices must be in close proximity — the iPhone will automatically unlock and the Apple Watch will vibrate.

Apple said users will need to opt into this feature.

For security purposes, the update will only work to unlock the phone; users will still need to type in a passcode to make transactions through Apple Pay, the App Store or iTunes if wearing a mask.

The latest update is both another step forward for supporting mask wearing during the pandemic and a potential incentive for Apple customers to purchase a smartwatch, or at least use the one they have more frequently.

While Apple’s latest mobile operating system launched in September, the company continually releases updates to fix bugs or introduce new features. Also due later this spring, Apple is expected to introduce a new requirement for users to give explicit permission for apps to track them across the internet.

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Technology

Unlock Your iPhone With Your Apple Watch When Wearing a Face Mask

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Apple’s iOS 13.5 update made your iPhone jump to your secondary method of authentication more quickly when you’re trying to use Face ID while wearing a face mask, but it’s still an arduous process you have to go through each time you want to unlock your iPhone. iOS 14.5 fixes this by adding in a new auto-unlock option for those who also own an Apple Watch; I do, and this is too good a feature to wait for.

I say “wait for” because iOS 14.5 isn’t technically available to the public yet. Apple’s testing the update as part of a developer beta—that wonderful phrase that suggests you’re in for a potentially buggy experience if you opt to slap it on your iPhone right now. I go back and forth on this; I love being able to access the latest features, but having a sluggish or otherwise fussy iPhone—especially if it’s my primary device—isn’t the best experience.

Still, in these pandemic times, having to tap-tap-tap my iPhone after I’ve gotten used to the wonderful convenience of Face ID isn’t very fun, either. So much so, that I think I’m going to go ahead and install the iOS 14.5 beta. What’s the worst that could happen?

If you’d like to join me, here’s how you can get into this normally-for-developers beta. To start, make a backup of your iPhone, whether you’re sending it to iCloud (via Settings > your Apple ID > iCloud > iCloud Backup) or connecting your iPhone to a computer and performing a manual backup. This is important, as you’ll want to be able to revert back to your normal operating system if the beta is too buggy for your tastes.

Screenshot: David Murphy

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Next, open Safari on your iPhone and navigate over to Beta Profiles. Tap “Download” on the box for the iOS 14.5 beta and don’t be stymied by the warning screen:

When prompted by your iPhone about downloading a configuration profile to your device, tap “Allow.” Once done, close Safari and open up your Settings app. Tap on General > Profile, where you’ll find the profile you just downloaded. Tap on it, and then tap on Install in the upper-right corner. You’ll eventually be asked to restart your iPhone as part of the installation process. Do that.

Screenshot: David Murphy

Once your iPhone boots back up, tap on Settings again, and then General > Software Update. You should now be able to download the iOS 14.5 Developer Beta (if it hasn’t already started downloading).

Screenshot: David Murphy

Once it’s done, you’ll find the new Apple Watch-unlock feature in Settings > Face ID & Passcode. However, you’ll also need to repeat these same steps to install the developer beta of watchOS 7.4 (updating your Apple Watch as you normally would in the end, rather than going to your iPhone’s Software Update section).

Don’t assume that this handy feature will work each time you’re using your iPhone while wearing your Apple Watch. The feature, designed for pandemic life, requires your iPhone to detect that you’re wearing a face mask. If it does, and you’re also wearing your (passcode-enabled and unlocked) Apple Watch, your iPhone will unlock automatically. If you aren’t wearing a mask, you’ll have to unlock your iPhone the old-fashioned way.

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Technology

Wearing a mask? You can soon use Face ID and Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone

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Last year, when everyone started wearing masks, it became difficult to use Apple‘s Face ID feature to unlock iPhones. The company made unlocking slightly faster by immediately bringing up the passcode screen when your iPhone detected you’re wearing a mask.

Now, it plans to let you unlock the phone with Face ID while wearing your mask — but you would need an Apple Watch. As noted by Engadget, the new iOS 14.5 developer beta allows you to do that if you’re wearing an unlocked Apple Watch.

[Read: India’s new customs duties will make your next phone pricier]

This is how the feature would work: you’ll have to manually enable an option to unlock your iPhone with a less accurate Face ID along with your Apple Watch for authentication.

You’ll be notified on your watch every time you unlock your iPhone successfully — which can be really annoying if you unlock it frequently. I’d rather stick with passcode punching for when I’m wearing a mask.

As my colleague Callum suggested, it would be nice of Apple to bring back Touch ID.  The company included Touch ID under the power button in the iPad Air released last year. It could come up with a similar solution with the iPhone, or as Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggested, it could debut its own under-the-screen fingerprint scanner.

new iPad Air

Right now, the new Face ID unlock system is in testing, but bank on us to write a guide in our Basics section when it’s available to everyone.

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and you can subscribe to it right here.

Published February 2, 2021 — 05:44 UTC



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Technology

Lulu Wang Short Film for Chinese New Year Shot on Apple iPhone 12 Pro

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Apple tapped director Lulu Wang to showcase the cinematic features of the tech company’s latest iPhone.

Wang, who wrote and directed 2019 feature film “The Farewell,” directed a new short for Apple in celebration of Chinese New Year, “Nian,” which puts a fresh twist on a well-known Chinese folktale. (Watch above or at this link.) The 11-minute film was directed by Wang and her team from “The Farewell” and shot on an iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Apple, which just reported a blowout holiday 2020 quarter with a record $65.6 billion in iPhone sales, has touted the iPhone 12 Pro models as the best smartphone it’s ever made for filmmakers. They’re the first iPhones that can record HDR video in Dolby Vision, as well as provide the ability to edit 4K video at up to 60 frames per second directly on the phone. During the launch event last fall, Apple showed a 60-second film shot in HDR video with Dolby Vision on an iPhone 12 Pro by Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki (watch at this link.)

With the release of the iPhone 12, Apple sales in Greater China soared to an all-time high of $21.3 billion for December 2020 quarter — and with the promotional short “Nian,” Apple’s fourth annual Chinese New York film, the tech giant wants to keep the momentum going.

Wang and her crew worked on “Nian” remotely in the U.S. with a mirror crew on the ground in China because of COVID travel restrictions. The team used the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s Dolby Vision, low-light, ultra-wide lens, telephoto lens, stabilization and time-lapse features. The production featured hard-to-shoot night scenes and scenes set inside a cave, where space and lighting were limited.

“Nian” tells the story of a brave young girl’s determination to find — and confront — the widely feared Nian beast. When she comes face to face with him, she discovers that Nian is not at all terrifying and the two strike up a beautiful friendship based on acceptance.

“It’s really exciting that we have this opportunity to retell this ancient story, to capture these incredibly cinematic images with the iPhone, this very versatile device,” Wang said in a behind-the-scenes feature accompanying the film. She said the “Nian” team had “a lot of fun just trying to figure out where else can we stick the phone so we can get angles and perspectives that are just a little bit more unique.”

“We thought, ‘Oh, why don’t we just put the phone inside of the Nian’s mouth?’ I think the size of it allows us to get all kinds of cool, specialty shots that would be much harder to get with the traditional camera,” Wang said.

Wang, whose parents emigrated from China to the U.S. when she was 6, added, “As a child, my parents wanted me to go further than they have ever gone. And yet there’s also this fear that I was going into the unknown, and so I wanted to bring that theme into this film.”

“Nian” was produced by Iconoclast in association with Apple ad agency TBWAMedia Arts Lab (Shanghai). The film features an original score by Alex Weston.

Apple’s previous films marking the Chinese New Year are “Daughter” (2020), “The Bucket” (2019) and “Three Minutes” (2018).

Watch the behind-the-scenes clip of the making of Wang’s “Nian”:



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Apple urges iPhone, iPad users to update operating system immediately after security flaws ‘may have been actively exploited’

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The Fitz-Gerald Group Principal Keith Fitz-Gerald argues Apple shares are still ‘ultimately underpriced’ given the company’s influence and importance in society.

Apple issued a new warning on Tuesday urging iPhone and iPad users to immediately update their device software to the newly released iOS and iPadOS 14.4.

APPLE WARNS MAGNETS IN IPHONE 12 MODELS ‘MIGHT INTERFERE’ WITH PACEMAKERS, DEFIBRILLATORS

The update comes in an effort to fix three security flaws that “may have been actively exploited”. Apple credited “an anonymous researcher” for finding the bugs, according to its support webpage.

One of the security vulnerabilities found is a malicious application which may be able to “elevate privileges” in Kernel, the framework for Apple’s operating system. Apple said the issue was addressed in the new update with “improved locking.”

The other two vulnerabiltiies were found in WebKit, a web browser engine used by Safari and other apps, which may allow a remote attacker to potentially cause “arbitrary code execution.” The logic issue has been addressed in the new update with “improved restrictions.”

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The security flaws impact the iPhone 6s and later, the iPad Air 2 and later, the iPad mini 4 and later, and the iPod touch (7th generation).

However, other details, such as who is actively exploiting the vulnerabilities, who might have fallen victim, or whether the attack was targeted against a specific set of users or widespread were unclear. Apple noted it would provide an update as soon as more details could be made available.

A spokesperson for Apple did not immediately return FOX Business’ request for comment.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
AAPL APPLE INC. 142.06 -1.10 -0.77%

In order to install the latest update, simply open up the Settings app, choose General, and then choose Software Update.

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Technology

Update Your iPhone and iPad Right Now

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File photo of an Apple store in Beijing
Photo: Nicolas Asfouri (Getty Images)

Do you have an iPhone or iPad? You should update your device right now to iOS 14.4. No, not later today or after lunch or whatever. Update now.

Why is it so crucial to update your iOS software as soon as possible? As TechCrunch first reported, Apple is reporting three security vulnerabilities that “may have been actively exploited” by hackers.

We don’t have any real details yet, but Apple rarely has to admit such stunning vulnerabilities. The researchers who reported the security flaws have been granted anonymity by Apple.

As Apple explains:

Kernel

Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)

Impact: A malicious application may be able to elevate privileges. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.

Description: A race condition was addressed with improved locking.

CVE-2021-1782: an anonymous researcher

WebKit

Available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)

Impact: A remote attacker may be able to cause arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.

Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved restrictions.

CVE-2021-1871: an anonymous researcher

CVE-2021-1870: an anonymous researcher

Update now. You won’t regret it. We promise.

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Google’s most popular iPhone apps have gone weeks without mandatory privacy labels or updates

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Three weeks after Google promised it would add Apple’s mandatory app privacy labels “as soon as this week,” none of the company’s main apps have the labels, including Gmail, search, Photos, Docs, and YouTube.

There have been some questions about whether Google is purposefully not updating its apps to avoid the labels, so I looked through every Google app in the iOS App Store to find out whether the updates have been coming.

Some have: 12 apps now have the iOS privacy labels, though they may not be as recognizable as YouTube or Gmail:

  • Stadia
  • Google Translate
  • Google Authenticator
  • Google Play Movies and TV
  • Google Classroom
  • Google Fiber
  • Google Fiber TV
  • Wear OS
  • Onduo for Diabetes
  • Project Baseline
  • Google Smart Lock
  • Motion Stills – GIF, Collage

Clicking through to the privacy labels, they seem to make sense. Some of the apps, like Google Authenticator, don’t capture much information, while Google Translate and Classroom have a pretty hefty list of privacy notices.

Again, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Google is capturing all of that information just from you opening the app. The privacy label just shows all of the things the app may capture depending on which features you use. And while you may have to scroll a bit through the list, it’s nothing like Facebook’s seemingly endless list.

The privacy info for Authenticator fits on one screen.

There are some oddities, though. “Motion Stills – GIF, Collage” is an app that hasn’t been updated for three years, yet it has the privacy labels. It’s probably fair to say that this wasn’t the app we had in mind when Google promised it would start rolling them out.

The privacy label for an app that hasn’t been updated in three years.

Apple launched these privacy labels on December 14th, and companies like Google can no longer update their apps unless they add these privacy labels first. So when some people noticed that Google had stopped updating its apps, they speculated that it may be to avoid having to admit how much data it was collecting.

Google has denied that, though, explicitly telling TechCrunch that it wasn’t holding back updates and that it was committed to adding the labels when those updates were ready. The company reiterated that promise in a privacy-focused blog post on January 12th:

As Google’s iOS apps are updated with new features or to fix bugs, you’ll see updates to our app page listings that include the new App Privacy Details. These labels represent the maximum categories of data that could be collected—meaning if you use every available feature and service in the app.

They are rolling out. It’s just not clear when Google will update its most popular apps — the ones that likely suck up the most user data, anyhow.



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Apple issues new warning: Keep your iPhone six inches away from your pacemaker

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In a notice published on Apple’s support page Saturday, the company expanded upon previously issued safety information, warning users that iPhones contain magnets and radios that emit electromagnetic fields, both of which “may interfere” with medical devices such as implanted pacemakers and defibrillators.
The Saturday notice specifically warns users about “the magnets inside” all four iPhone 12 models, as well as MagSafe accessories. Apple (AAPL) notes that iPhone 12 versions contain more magnets than prior iPhone models, but it also said they don’t pose a greater risk of magnetic interference with medical devices than earlier models.

Apple said in the update that medical devices can contain sensors that may react to magnets or radio waves that come in close proximity. The company recommends keeping iPhones and MagSafe chargers a “safe distance” away from medical devices — which it defines as more than 6 inches apart, or 15 inches apart when wirelessly charging.

When Apple unveiled the iPhone 12 last fall, the company also announced the return of MagSafe — formerly a beloved MacBook feature — for the iPhone. Customers can buy MagSafe charging docks to wirelessly juice-up their devices, and other magnetic accessories including cases and wallets that attach to the back of the phones.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why it is now expanding on the safety guidance. But the Heart Rhythm Journal released a report earlier this month claiming that the magnets in the iPhone 12 that make it compatible with MagSafe accessories could interfere with an implanted defibrillator.

“Consult your physician and medical device manufacturer for information specific to your medical device and whether you need to maintain a safe distance of separation between your medical device and iPhone or any MagSafe accessories,” Apple said in the notice. “Manufacturers often provide recommendations on the safe use of their devices around wireless or magnetic products to prevent possible interference.”

If a customer feels like their iPhone 12 or MagSafe charger is interfering with their medical device, they should stop using them, Apple said.

Another thing iPhone 12 users should be aware of when using MagSafe chargers: Avoid placing credit cards, security badges, passports or key FOBs between your phone and your MagSafe charger, as the magnets might damage magnetic strips or RFID chips in these items, Apple warns. If you have a phone case that holds such items, be sure to remove them before wirelessly charging your device.

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