How to Unlock without Apple Watch

Previously, unlocking your iPhone without taking off your mask was possible only if you had an Apple Watch. Thankfully, there’s now also a solution for those who don’t own an Apple smartwatch. However, it’s available to you only if you have an iPhone 12 or newer and use iOS 15.4 or later. Now you can unlock your iPhone using your Face ID, even with a mask on.

How to Unlock with Apple Watch

You can use your Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone with a face mask on, thanks to the “Unlock with Apple Watch” feature. Of course, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:

iPhone with Face ID and iOS 14.5 or newerApple Watch Series 3 or newer with watchOS 7.4 or newer

If you haven’t updated your iPhone and Apple Watch in a while, now is the time. To update your iPhone, navigate to “Settings -> General -> Software Update.” To update your Apple Watch, navigate to “Watch app -> General -> Software Update” on your iPhone.

How to Set Up “Unlock With Apple Watch”

You’ll be surprised with how easy it is to enable your iPhone to scan your face while wearing a mask. This procedure will take only a moment of your time, as you’ll see in these quick steps:

How to Unlock Your iPhone

Use this option while wearing a face mask and your Apple Watch. Also, your smartwatch should be unlocked, so enter your password if it isn’t. Keep in mind that “Unlock with Apple Watch” doesn’t use Face ID to identify you. That means 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. Image credit: Monstera on Pexels Of course, the “Add Glasses” option appears as soon as you set up Face ID; you don’t need to enable the face mask setting to use this feature.