iOS 14.5 can automatically unlock the iPhone when we wear the face mask and an Apple Watch

With iOS 14.5, Apple makes it easy to unlock the iPhone via Face ID while wearing a face mask, but you need an Apple Watch.

With iOS 14.5, Apple finally adds a solution that makes it easier to unlock an iPhone when we wear a face mask.

At the moment, with a face mask, Face ID doesn’t work, requiring those who wear it to enter a passcode to unlock their devices, a very slow and inconvenient process.

In iOS 14.5, the company added a new option to unlock an ‌iPhone with Face ID and a paired Apple Watch, with smartwatch authentication

As 9to5Mac reported, the new “Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch” feature works when Face ID detects that we are wearing a mask. If we wear a mask and have an Apple Watch, our iPhone will unlock with Face ID.

Here is Apple’s description:

iPhone can use your Apple Watch to unlock when Face ID detects a face with a mask. Your Apple Watch must be on your wrist, unlocked and protected with a passcode.

As noted by Engadget, this feature must be manually enabled to use it and there is also an option to lock the iPhone from the Apple Watch.

Additionally, iOS 14.5 also introduces support for the PS5’s DualSense controller and the Xbox Series X controller, adds AirPlay 2 support for Fitness +, enables 5G in Dual-SIM mode, and introduces a new feature to ask Siri to call emergency services.