You may simply lift and gaze at your iPhone while wearing a mask and your Apple Watch to unlock it. Learn how to activate the feature and how to use it.
What you need
- Face ID-enabled iPhone (iPhone X or later) with iOS 14.5 or later
- With watchOS 7.4 or later, an Apple Watch Series 3 or later is required.
The feature also has these requirements:
- Your Apple Watch must be connected to your iPhone.
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must be enabled on your iPhone and Apple Watch. (You don’t need to be on a Wi-Fi network to do this.)
- A passcode is required for your Apple Watch, and wrist detection must be enabled.
- Your Apple Watch must be unlocked and worn on your wrist.
- You must wear a mask that completely covers your mouth and nose.
How to set up Unlock with Apple Watch
- On your iPhone, open the Settings app.
- Then, on the next screen, tap Face ID & Passcode, and type your passcode.
- Scroll down to Unlock with Apple Watch and turn on the function next to the name of your watch. If your watch doesn’t have wrist detection turned on, you’ll be prompted to do so.
How to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch
- Make sure you’re wearing a mask and your Apple Watch is unlocked and on your wrist.
2. Raise your iPhone or press the screen to wake it up.
3. To unlock your iPhone, simply look at it. Then, from the bottom of your iPhone screen, slide up to start utilizing it.
If you didn’t mean to unlock your iPhone
When your Apple Watch successfully unlocks your iPhone, it provides haptic feedback and displays an alert. Tap the Lock iPhone button on your Apple Watch screen if you didn’t mean to unlock your iPhone.
After hitting this button, your iPhone will prompt you to type your passcode the next time you unlock it.
Learn more
- When your Apple Watch is on your wrist and unlocked, and your iPhone is nearby, Unlock with Apple Watch works. Face ID isn’t used to recognize and authenticate you with this functionality.
- Only your iPhone can be unlocked using Unlock with Apple Watch. It doesn’t authenticate your identity while using Apple Pay, Keychain passwords, or password-protected apps. While wearing a mask, you can still access these services by inputting your iPhone passcode or using Apple Pay on your Apple Watch.
