I have an iPhone 17 Pro Max and recently watched someone unlock it several times while holding it. She was wearing a mask, looked very different from me, and I haven't configured an alternate appearance or any mask-related Face ID option. We were sitting across from each other, and she didn't appear to point the phone at my face. I even covered my face and closed my eyes, but the phone still unlocked. She was also holding my Apple Watch Series 10 with GPS nearby. Could the watch have unlocked the phone, and how can I prevent this from happening again?
3 Answers
It probably wasn’t Face ID at all. Your Apple Watch can be used to unlock the iPhone when it’s nearby, already unlocked, and worn on your wrist. Because the watch was close to the phone, it likely authorized the unlock automatically. Turn off the Apple Watch setting that allows it to unlock your iPhone if you don’t want this to happen.
Since the phone unlocked even when your face was covered and your eyes were closed, the Apple Watch explanation fits much better than a Face ID failure. For extra security, press the side button to lock the phone before handing it over, and temporarily disable watch-based unlocking whenever someone else may be holding it.
The watch-based unlock feature can work very reliably when the phone and watch are close together. Check the iPhone’s Face ID and Passcode settings for the option to unlock with Apple Watch, then disable it. The watch should also show an alert or provide a way to lock the iPhone again after it has been unlocked this way.
That explains why Face ID seemed impossible here. I’ll disable the watch unlock option and test it with the phone locked.