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According to various reports, the “Unlock with Apple Watch” feature no longer seems to work for many iPhone 13 owners.
Starting with iOS 14.5, the iPhone can be automatically unlocked when a face mask is worn in conjunction with an Apple Watch with watchOS 7.4 or higher. This means that if an unlocked Apple Watch is worn, the iPhone can be unlocked directly with Face ID despite a face mask. A code is not required. However, if the Apple Watch's wrist detection is deactivated, the new feature cannot be used. This is how Apple explains it:
iPhone can use your Apple Watch to unlock when Face ID recognizes a face wearing a mask. Your Apple Watch must be nearby, on your wrist, unlocked, and protected by a passcode.
iPhone 13: “No connection to Apple Watch”
To activate the function, the Face ID & Passcode section must be opened in the iOS settings. In this section, the function can be activated or deactivated, provided the following requirements are met:
- Face ID recognizes a mask
- The Apple Watch is nearby
- Wrist detection is active
- Your Apple Watch is on your wrist
- The Apple Watch uses a password and is unlocked
Anyone who has used the feature so far will certainly want to do the same on their new iPhone 13. But there is a problem - for many it doesn't work. When trying to activate the feature, an error message appears that says:
No connection to Apple Watch – Make sure the Apple Watch is unlocked and on your wrist and the iPhone is unlocked.
There is already a thread on Reddit. There doesn't seem to be a solution to the problem in sight. So anyone who is actually affected will have to wait until Apple fixes the problem with an iOS update. (Photo by BackyardProductions / Bigstockphoto)
