Apple Releases First watchOS 7.4 Public Beta With iPhone Unlocking Feature

by

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.4 update to public beta testers, with the new beta coming a few days after the release of the first developer beta.

applewatchse
The ‌watchOS 7‌.4 update can be downloaded after upgrading your iPhone to the public beta version of iOS 14.5. After installing iOS 14.5, the watchOS 7.4 software should show up as long as you have the Apple Watch profile installed. To update to the new software, the ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌‌.

Alongside iOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4 introduces a new "Unlock with Apple Watch" feature that lets an ‌iPhone‌ with Face ID use an unlocked and authenticated Apple Watch as a secondary authentication measure when you're wearing a mask, alleviating the need to enter a passcode to unlock the ‌iPhone‌.

iphone apple watch unlock
‌Face ID‌ does not work when wearing a mask, but this new Apple Watch feature provides an easy but still secure way to access the ‌iPhone‌ without the hassle of a passcode. It's similar to the Apple Watch unlocking on Mac and can be enabled in the Settings app under ‌Face ID‌ & Passcode.

An unlocked Apple Watch paired with ‌Face ID‌ can unlock the ‌iPhone‌ when a mask is worn, but it's only for mask usage. The Apple Watch cannot be used to authenticate Apple Pay or App Store purchases, nor can it be used to unlock apps that require a ‌Face ID‌ scan. In these situations, the mask will need to be removed or a passcode/password will need to be used instead.

iphone apple watch unlock 2
When the Apple Watch unlocks the ‌iPhone‌, you'll feel a haptic tap on the wrist and will receive a notification on the watch, similar to how it works when using the watch to unlock a Mac.

For those who use Apple Fitness+, the watchOS 7.4 update combined with iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 enables AirPlay 2 for Apple Fitness+, so workouts can be streamed to an ‌AirPlay‌ 2-enabled TV or set-top box. Apple Watch metrics do not show up on the screen when AirPlayed, however, and that feature is limited to ‌iPhone‌/iPad/Apple TV.

watchOS 7.4 is going to be available in a beta capacity for several weeks, with Apple planning to release the update in the early spring.

Related Roundups: watchOS 10, watchOS 11
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
Read Full Article • 136 comments
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
Read Full Article • 129 comments
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
Read Full Article • 489 comments
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Read Full Article • 66 comments
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
Read Full Article • 38 comments
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...
Read Full Article • 133 comments

Top Rated Comments

BC2009 Avatar
BC2009
45 months ago
I think it’s hilarious that this article points out that you cannot use your watch to unlock Apple Pay on the phone. If I am wearing my watch I am going to use that 100% of the time to pay at a terminal over using my iPhone — especially since Face ID made Apple Pay at a terminal way more awkward than Touch ID and then it went from awkward to unusable with masks.

Apple Watch is by far the best way to use Apple Pay. I still have people look in me in awe and say “you can pay with the Apple Watch?” because they have been paying with their iPhone “like an animal”.

Only time to use Apple Pay on the phone is when shopping on a website in safari that takes Apple Pay. So not very often.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
farewelwilliams
45 months ago
Can't wait until I pull out my iPhone that waits for a response from my Apple Watch only to fail after 5 seconds like my MacBook does.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
windywalks Avatar
windywalks
45 months ago
I've had the developer beta for a couple of hours now and I've had a slight delay maybe once or twice out of countless times I pulled the phone out of my pocket to unlock it with my masked face, iPhone 11 Pro Max and Watch Series 4 combo.
I'm totally on board with this solution - typing in my passcode felt like regressing back to the iPhone 4 times.
This brings back the comfort we've had in the first place.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coachgq Avatar
coachgq
45 months ago
But it wasn’t a mistake they could see coming and personally, without the mask, I prefer faceID over touchID all day.

Agreed. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or what, but this happens all the time. They're like 6 inches from each other and still nothing.

I applaud any way to unlock with a mask, but this just makes it even more obvious that abandoning TouchID was a terrible mistake, IMO.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GDF Avatar
GDF
45 months ago

Also it only works on wifi
What does? Apple Watch can unlock iPhone with mask on cellular or WiFi.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gizmotoy Avatar
Gizmotoy
45 months ago

But it wasn’t a mistake they could see coming and personally, without the mask, I prefer faceID over touchID all day.
I understand some like it, but it adds so much latency to getting into the phone. It's not a dealbreaker, but I can't think of a single advantage it offers over TouchID (at least for how I use my phone - I'm curious why you like it more). IMO it's what we have to put up with in exchange for an edge-to-edge screen, not a feature unto itself. With TouchID the phone is unlocked before it's even all the way out of my pocket. The speed is improved on the 12s, but it's impossible to compete with "already unlocked." Then the mask stuff happened and added an even more severe check in the Cons column.

Really hoping the iPhone 13 TouchID rumor is true.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments