Apple to fix the problem of unlocking an iPhone while wearing a mask, here’s how

Wearing a mask is now a part of our lives and it appears that it will remain so for some time at least. Despite all the internet tricks, unlocking your phone through facial recognition while wearing a mask is annoying and you find yourself punching in your passcode most of the time, which defeats the purpose of fast unlock.

Now, Apple seems to have recognised the issue and is working on rolling out a fix for precisely this issue in its next iOS update, iOS 14.5. However, it appears that it is a boon only for those who also own an Apple Watch.

As per a report by MacRumors, the first developer beta of iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 show that a user will be able to unlock their iPhone using their Apple Watch when they’re wearing a face mask.

If an iPhone user is wearing an Apple Watch and he/she uses FaceID as they do normally, then the ‌iPhone‌ will unlock after “a partial face scan.” While doing this, users will feel a haptic buzz and will receive a notification on the Apple Watch which will inform them that the iPhone has been successfully unlocked.

Users will have to manually enable this feature by going to Settings app and tapping on the “FaceID & Passcode” section. After entering their passcode they will be able to turn on this feature by toggling on "Unlock with Apple Watch.”

MacRumors suggests that the first time a user tries their ‌iPhone‌ with Apple Watch after enabling the feature they will need to enter a passcode, but after that, Apple Watch unlocking doesn't require that.