Apple launches first public watchOS 7.4 Beta with iPhone unlock feature

Apple today seeded the first beta of a watchOS 7.4 update for public beta testers, with the new beta coming a few days after the release of the developer’s first beta.

The ‌watchOS 7‌.4 update can be downloaded after updating your iPhone to the public beta version of iOS 14.5. After installing iOS 14.5, the watchOS 7.4 software should appear, as long as you have the Apple Watch profile installed. To update to the new software, the “Apple Watch” must have 50 percent of the battery life, must be placed in the charger and must be within reach of the “iPhone”.

Along with iOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4 features a new “Unlock with Apple Watch” feature that allows a ‌iPhone‌ with facial ID to use an unlocked and authenticated Apple Watch as a secondary authentication measure when you are wearing a mask, eliminating the need for enter a password to unlock the PiPhone‌.

Face ID does not work when wearing a mask, but this new Apple Watch feature offers an easy yet secure way to access your iPhone without the hassle of a password. It is similar to unlocking the Apple Watch on the Mac and can be enabled in the Settings app under facial ID and password.

An unlocked Apple Watch paired with Face ID can unlock the ‌iPhone‌ when a mask is worn, but it is for mask use only. Apple Watch cannot be used to authenticate purchases from the Apple Pay or App Store, nor can it be used to unlock apps that require a facial ID reading. In these situations, the mask will need to be removed or a password / password must be used.

When your Apple Watch unlocks your iPhone, you’ll feel a tactile touch on your wrist and receive a notification on your watch, similar to how it works when using your watch to unlock a Mac.

For those using 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 a PlAirPlay‌ 2-enabled TV or decoder. Apple Watch metrics do not appear on the screen when AirPlayed runs, however, and this feature is limited to ‌iPhone‌ / iPad / Apple TV.

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