iPhone 13 users cannot unlock their phone using Apple Watch. The “Unlock with Apple Watch” patch will be available soon.
The iPhone 13 is the latest in Apple’s line of smartphones, but some owners are already having issues. On September 24, several iPhone 13 users discovered that they couldn’t use their Apple Watch to unlock their phone, and every time they tried, they only got an error.
One year before, users were excited to try and review it. But for a specific crowd of Apple Watch users, the new iPhone isn’t performing the way they thought it would, according to AppleInsider.
iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Unlocking Issue
Unfortunately, a new bug has appeared, and it is exclusive to the iPhone 13 range. Users can no longer unlock their iPhone 13 using the “Unlock with Apple Watch” function. When you try to configure it to make it work, your smartphone displays an error.
The first user to report the issue was Monzilla88 on Reddit. They wrote that their iPhone 13 Pro and Apple Watch SE are up to date and running the latest iOS. They posted that every time they try to enable “Unlock with Apple Watch” on their phone, they get an error saying that it cannot communicate with the Apple Watch.
Monzilla88 said he tried to make some updates himself. They disassociated and fixed the phone and the watch, tried resetting both devices, turned them on and off a few times, but neither worked.
Another Reddit user reported trying to reset passwords, but it didn’t work. It also resets network settings and even configures their Apple Watch as a new watch, but to no avail. Over 20 other Apple users have reported the same issue.
Wait for the upcoming fix
Others have claimed that the feature works well on iOS 15 and older iPhone models, including iPhone X and iPhone 11 or Max. Reports are also starting to pour into Apple’s support forums.
According to one user, Apple Support could not resolve the issue, and they still don’t know why. Apple Watch owners now become frustrating as they use the “Unlock with Apple Watch” feature to unlock their phones while wearing a face mask.
@Apple iPhone 13 users are the only ones that are affected by this bug, according to Apple Support.https://t.co/oSDVb2hyDw
— Tech Times (@TechTimes_News) September 27, 2021
The unlock issue came after people reported last week that they received an “iPhone 13 pre-order has expired” message during the pre-order phase. On September 26, Apple confirmed that the iPhone 13’s “unlock with Apple Watch” feature can get fix via a software patch.
A support document released yesterday confirms the issue is limited to iPhone 13 phones. According to MacRumors, Apple’s announcement says the fix will only be rolled out to the iPhone 13.
Apple said it could identify an issue where “Unlock with Apple Watch” may not work with these devices in the support document. Users may see an error message if they try to unlock the phone while wearing a face mask.