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Can't Unlock iPhone with apple watch

I've upgraded my iPhone 11 Pro Max to 14.5 and my Apple Watch 6 to WatchOS 7.4. I have verified that both are paired correctly. However, when I try to unlock my iPhone while wearing a face mask and wearing my watch, I'm getting the error message that my iPhone "cannot connect to my watch."


I've doubled checked all settings, ensured that "Unlock with Apple Watch" is enabled on my iPhone, restarted both devices multiple times yet this feature has yet to work for me.


Any suggestions on what I may have missed?

iPhone 11 Pro Max

Posted on May 2, 2021 1:07 PM

Reply
7 replies

May 3, 2021 8:25 AM in response to TowJam60

So just to close the loop on this and share with the community what I've learned from some other sources:

  1. This issue is *not* related to Intune.
  2. This can happen when your watch and iPhone get out of sync. (Many times you won't notice the problem at home because both the phone and watch are on WiFi)
  3. Apple did add a new policy configuration that will allow Admins to block "unlock with watch) if they choose.
  4. Intune doesn't currently recognize this block but support for it is in the pipeline and by default, Intune will have it set to "OFF".

TJ

May 2, 2021 1:38 PM in response to sberman

Bluetooth on my iPhone and watch *are* enabled and in the list of BT devices on my iPhone, the Apple Watch is showing as connected.


Both my iPhone and Apple Watch have 6 digit passcodes. Also, my Apple Watch *is* unlocked when I attempt to Face ID my iPhone.


I'm getting the error "Cannot connect to your Apple Watch" (or something very close to that effect).

May 2, 2021 2:15 PM in response to sberman

I *think* I figure out what was going on. Per our company policy, my iPhone is Intune enrolled (which is why I have a 6 digit code). I unenrolled then re-enrolled the phone and now it appears to be working as expected - I'm able unlock with a face mask.


I can't say for certain that was the root cause but it's the only other variable that I can think of at this point. I wouldn't be surprised if the iPhone supports a group policy that would disable that capability. #LifeInTheEnterprise

Can't Unlock iPhone with apple watch

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