How to use Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone and Mac

Ever since the year when iPhone X with released, Face ID became much loved by Apple fans as a way to quickly unclock iPhone and iPad. However, as wearing a mask is a necessary at the present, Face ID no longer brings convenience as much as before, leaving many to have to enter the passcode to get unclocked.

Use Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone

Luckily, with the newly-released iOS 14.5, you can now unlock your iPhone simply by holding your watch near your iPhone. As soon as that happens, you’ll receive a haptic buzz and a notification on the Apple Watch saying your phone has been unlocked. Note that the first time you unlock your iPhone when wearing a mask, you’ll be asked to enter the passcode. After that, there will be no requirements for later unlocking.

This function works by scanning a face with a mask, not your face with a mask. So it is possible that someone wearing a mask successfully unlocks your iPhone while you are nearby, with your Apple Watch on wrist. Consideing the potential security problem, Apple even warns you about this when you try to activate the feature. But since you’ll receive the notification each time the Apple Watch is used to unclock the phone, you can simply press the lock button anytime. Or, just turn on/off the feature as you want.

To take advantage of the new feature, you just need to make sure your iPhone is at least iPhone X or later with Face ID and iOS 14.5. Your Apple Watch should be at least Apple Watch Series 3 or later and installed WatchOS 7.4. Then, go down to the Settings app, choose Face ID&Passcode, enter your passcode, and press the button labeled Unlock with Apple Watch. The last step is to set up a passcode for your Apple Watch to get both the watch and the phone protected.

Use Apple Watch to unlock your Mac

Apple hasn’t claimed that Apple Watch can be used to unlock iPad when you’re wearing a mask, but it supports unlocking Mac. Make sure your Mac is a mid-2013 model or later with macOS Sierra or higher. Also turn on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. As for the Apple Watch, any model running WatchOS 3 or later is OK.

To enable the feature, turn on your Mac and open System Preferences, choose Security & Privacy and then General. Click Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac. Once you enter your password, your unlocking feature is activated. The unlocking process is the all the same as you unlock your iPhone, so just follow the steps above.