iPad mini Unlock with Apple Watch?

[mavis]

So I just got a new iPad mini and I think it's great, aside from a few little things (poor HDR support due to lack of OLED, no PeoMotion, mediocre battery life) but the thing that annoys me the most about it is the TouchID. Or the lack of FaceID, more accurately.

So that got me thinking - Apple lets me unlock my iPhone with my Apple Watch, but also my Macs. My M1 MacBook Pro can unlock with my watch, as can my iMac and even my Hackintosh. Why can't we unlock our iPads with the Apple Watch, as well? Clearly it's not a limitation of iOS or macOS, so it must not be that challenging, from an engineering standpoint ... ?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Very good question. I think we should be able to. I see no reason why my watch shouldn't be able to unlock my 2020 iPad Pro.

 

[Abazigal]

The funny thing is that the code for it apparently exists in iPadOS.

As with some things that Apple does, I admit I have no idea whether this is a technical limitation or an ideological one.