How to Unlock iPhone with Your Apple Watch While Wearing a Face Mask or Sunglasses

To unlock iPhone with your Apple Watch, it must be Series 3 or later and have a passcode.

Apple devices are synced with each other, and this makes it easy for you to switch from one device to another without any hassle.

The Apple Watch is the ultimate wearable device with a plethora of features and synchronicity.

The Apple Watch has many features that are designed to make it easier to live a healthy lifestyle. It can track your heart rate, your location, and even your calories burned. The watch also syncs with other devices such as the iPhone, so you can see what’s happening on your phone without having to take it out of your pocket or bag.

With Apple Watch, you don’t have to unlock your iPhone every time you want to use it. You can just unlock it on your watch and go from there. This is really convenient when you are wearing a face mask or sunglasses, because you don’t have to take them off before unlocking the phone.

What you need to prepare:

• An iPhone with Face ID and iOS 14.5 or later.

Does my iPhone have a Face ID feature? If you are using an iPhone X or later, it’s certain that your device has Face ID features. 

Then, you can check if your iPhone is using iOS 14.5 or later by going to Settings > General > About > Software Version. If it says 14.5 or above, then you are good to go. Update your iPhone if the software version is below iOS 14.5.

• An Apple Watch Series 3 or later with watchOS 7.4 or above.

If you have no clue about the series of your device, you can try to identify your Apple Watch.

• Turn on Face ID on your iPhone.

To turn on the Face ID feature on your iPhone, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode. 

• Your Apple Watch should have a passcode set.

If you want to change the passcode, on your Apple Watch, go to Settings > Passcode and follow the on-screen instructions.

• The Wrist Detection feature should be on.

To turn on the wrist detection feature, on your Apple Watch, go to Settings > Passcode, then turn Wrist Detection on.

After everything is set, it’s time to proceed to the tutorial to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch. 

Let’s get started!

How to Unlock iPhone with Your Apple Watch While Wearing a Face Mask or Sunglasses

Step 1: Turn on unlock iPhone with your Apple Watch

1. Wear your Apple Watch on your wrist and leave it unlocked.

2. On your iPhone, tap Settings.

3 Tap Face ID & Passcode. 

4 Enter your iPhone passcode.

5 Find Unlock With Apple Watch and turn it on. 

6 Tap Turn On to confirm.

Step 2: Use Apple Watch to unlock iPhone

1. Wear your face mask, sunglasses, or ski goggles.

2. Wear your Apple Watch on your wrist and unlock it.

3. Wake your iPhone by raising it or tapping its screen.

4. Glance at your iPhone. It will identify if you are wearing a face mask or sunglasses. Then, your Apple Watch will unlock your iPhone. 

5. You’ll see a notification on your Apple Watch that your iPhone has been unlocked. 

If you don’t have any intention of unlocking your iPhone, press the Lock iPhone button on your Apple Watch.

Note:

This feature only works for unlocking your iPhone while wearing a face mask or sunglasses. 

You cannot use it to make purchases with Apple Pay, sign in to apps, and other features that use Face ID.

Troubleshoot

I can’t use Apple Watch to unlock my iPhone 13

There are cases where unlocking with Apple Watch doesn’t work well on iPhone 13 devices. 

There is an error message saying, “Unable to Communicate with Apple Watch” when trying to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask or sunglasses. 

As you know, iPhone 13 should have no problem with this since it supports a Face ID feature.

But if you happen to experience this issue, you can update your iPhone 13 to iOS 15.4 or later. 

Read Other Tips:

• Apple Watch Not Connecting to Your iPhone? Do These 4 Easy Steps!
• These 7 Useful Tips Will Help You Fix the Apple Watch Not Charging Issue
• How to Create Your Own Apple Watch Faces For Free