Now that iOS 14.5 is nearing official release, it’s time to check in on how far Unlock with Apple Watch for Face ID with face masks has improved over the beta testing cycle. The good news: Unlock with Apple Watch performance has improved from iOS 14.5 beta 1, the bad news: not so much. It still feels like a stopgap, it fails too often and Apple Music playback still hiccups with every unlock attempt.
I think performance will vary, a lot, depending on the user, the mask and the environment. For some, perhaps the majority, it will be enough. I find it fails me too often on the daily commute and in stores, usually at the very moment I need to launch dPOINT or dPay apps at checkout. I also get the feeling that Apple Watch battery life takes a hit too, but take it with a grain of salt along with my impressions. If it works for you that’s great, but the Unlock with Apple Watch end user experience will be all over the place.