This is excellent news! Of course, while Apple (nor anyone) anticipated the impact COVID-19 would have on the world, at this point the only way to unlock your iPhone with a mask on was entering the passcode. This is quite cumbersome after the 5th time.
MacRumors reports:
In iOS 14.5 (currently in Beta), there's a new option to unlock an iPhone with Face ID and an Apple Watch paired together, with the Apple Watch's authentication providing an extra layer of security.
If you're wearing an unlocked Apple Watch and use Face ID as you normally would, the iPhone will unlock after a partial face scan. When the unlock happens, you'll feel a haptic buzz and will receive a notification on the Apple Watch informing you that the unlocking procedure was successful, similar to how it works when unlocking a Mac with an Apple Watch.
As noted by Engadget, this feature must be manually enabled to use it, and there's also an option to lock the iPhone from the Apple Watch. Things likeApp Store purchases and Apple Pay payments will not be able to be authenticated through the Face ID + Apple Watch pairing, so you'll still need full Face ID authentication or a passcode for some actions.
More HERE and below!