After several reports, Apple finally confirmed that ‘Unlock with Apple Watch’ does not work with iPhone 13 series through an update supporting document.
However, the tech giant says a fix will arrive in an upcoming update. The support document update says the following:
“Apple has identified an issue where Unlock with Apple Watch may not work with iPhone 13 devices. You may see “Unable to communicate with Apple Watch” if you try to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask, or you may not be able to set Unlock with Apple Watch.
This problem will be fixed in a future software update. Until the update is available, you can turn off Unlock with Apple Watch and use your password to unlock your iPhone 13.
To disable unlocking with Apple Watch, go to Settings> Face ID and password. “
Until the update drops, Apple says that iPhone 13 users should turn off the ‘Unlock with Apple Watch’ feature and use a passcode to unlock the smartphone. You can find this in the Apple Watch settings and then under ‘Face ID & Passcode’.
While it’s a minor issue, it seems odd that Apple wasn’t aware of this issue prior to launching the iPhone 13 series, especially given how useful it has been amid the pandemic and face mask mandates.
Given Apple’s track record, an update to resolve the Apple Watch Unlock issue will likely drop shortly.