Apple
Apple says masked users can now unlock their iPhone using Face ID, sort of
The new feature requires an Apple Watch.
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The latest software update for iOS contains a feature that will allow users to unlock their iPhones with Face ID even if they are wearing a mask.
But the new feature doesn’t actually use Face ID technology. Instead, this new feature will require you to have an Apple Watch in order to use it.
Instead of utilizing the Face ID technology found in Apple devices, this new feature will utilize the presence of an Apple Watch to unlock a user’s iPhone. Your Apple device will now recognize if there is a paired Apple Watch in proximity and, if the watch is unlocked, your iPhone will be unlocked as well.
To unlock this new feature, users must be running the current version of iOS, iOS 14.5, which was released on Monday. Once you have that, navigate to Face ID & Passcode in Settings. Once you’ve found your way to this menu, simply select Unlock with Apple Watch and you are good to go with this new unlock feature. Once this option is enabled, your phone will unlock for you, even if you are wearing a mask, as long as your smartwatch is unlocked
This is a great new feature for this pandemic era that we find ourselves in. Since we are all wearing a mask, adding this feature to the iOS 14.5 update will make unlocking your iPhone that much more simple for those users who have an Apple Watch.
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