Apple has promised to fix a bug that prevents the unlock through an “upcoming software update.” You can turn off the feature in Settings and rely on passcodes until that solution is in place, Apple said, although it didn’t offer a timeframe for the patch.

The flaw typically tells users the iPhone is “unable to communicate” with the Apple Watch. Others can’t set up the unlock feature in the first place. As you might imagine, that’s a significant hassle if you’re wearing a face mask and can’t use Face ID to sign in.

You might not have to wait too long. While Apple only recently started testing an iOS 15.1 beta, the company has a long history of delivering small-but-quick updates that fix glaring bugs and security holes. While this certainly isn’t how Apple wanted the iPhone 13 launch to go, the issue isn’t likely to last.