The recent Apple iOS update poses a problem if you are trying to unlock your iPhone using your Apple Watch
This is a problem that is affecting millions of Apple customers who use their Apple Watch to unlock their phones. But why is it a big deal apart from convenience? It has a lot to do with Face ID.
What is Face ID?
We all remember how Apple announced in 2017 the Face ID technology. This coincided with the release of the iPhone X to mark its 10th anniversary. The Face ID is essentially a facial recognition software that was designed and developed in-house in Apple used in both iPad Pro and iPhone.
It serves as a biometric authentication system to help Apple users access data, make payments, and even for Animoji tracking. On top of these, it gives iPhone users the ability to unlock their devices with their front-facing camera.
But one of the biggest challenges of this technology was when people were forced to wear face masks all the time due to the health crisis. Now, your registered facial biometric might not be recognized because you have a mask on your face. This is one of the reasons why Apple came out with the idea to help you unlock your iPhone using your Apple Watch.
iOS 14.7 breaks Apple Watch to iPhone connection
The problem now is that the latest iOS update messes up your ability to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch. This is a bit of a challenge especially as insiders reveal that Apple might scrap out the in-display Touch ID fingerprint reader of the upcoming iPhone lineup.
The pandemic is still forcing people to wear face masks as protection from the virus. And if your Facial ID does not work because of the mask and you don’t have a Touch ID anymore AND the update does not allow you to use your Apple Watch to unlock your phone, you might need to always key in your Passcode.
On top of this, the iOS 14.7 problem could make you type in your Apple Watch passcode every time you try to open your iPhone. Forgetting your passcode means you have to reset your Apple Watch. It is a more tedious process for enterprise users with a Touch ID-enabled iPhone, where they might need to unpair and erase the connection before pairing the Apple Watch with the iPhone again.
What to expect?
With this problem, a lot of experts are expecting a high-priority and immediate iOS patch in the coming weeks. This should come well ahead of the iOS15 to launch with the new iPhone in September. There are still a lot of exciting plans around iOS 15 so don’t be discouraged. There are reports that the vision for the new iOS is to serve as personal identification for iPhone users.
There are reports that the iOS 15 can hold your driving license. Apple is believed to have applied for a patent as well for your iPhone to carry or even replace your documents like your passport. A lot of exciting upgrades are in store for iPhone users in the coming weeks. But that iOS patch needs to come first though.
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I’m curious about this on a different but related issue. My Steps App I had on my watch, that I accessed from my desktop on the watch, disappeared a few months back. It was still on my MacBook & the Steps were still being tallied from my watch but the icon for it was no longer visible for me to check throughout the day. I do not carry my phone with me everywhere I go all day long, so the watch was my way of checking step count throughout the day. Could this have happened because of an up-date like has effected the unlock feature too? I’d sure like to get the icon to be visible on my watch again but I’m not very tech savvy to do it on my own. Can you help me please? Thank you. Penny
Right after the Watch update I recently had, my Watch wouldn’t shut off the Alarm on my Phone. The third time I tried it, it did work. I’m not sure I like Apples updates.
I can’t shut my I phone 11. down using the slide function