Oct 21, 2019 Make sure that your Mac and Apple Watch meet the system requirements for Auto Unlock. Make sure that your devices are set up as follows: Your Mac has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on. Your Mac and Apple Watch are signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID, and your Apple ID is using two-factor authentication. Your Apple Watch is using a passcode.
With that complete, you can now unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch. Just bring the watch near your Mac and you'll feel a quick tap on your wrist. A message will appear on the watch screen that says the name of your computer and that it was unlocked by this Apple Watch. On the Mac screen, you'll see Unlocking with Apple Watch.
Unlock your Mac with Apple Watch. If you have a Mac (mid-2013 or later) with macOS Sierra (Apple Watch Series 1 and 2) or macOS High Sierra or later (Apple Watch Series 3 or later), your Apple Watch can instantly unlock your Mac when it wakes from sleep. You need to be signed in to iCloud using the same Apple ID on both your Mac and Apple Watch.
With that complete, you can now unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch. Just bring the watch near your Mac and you'll feel a quick tap on your wrist. A message will appear on the watch screen that says the name of your computer and that it was unlocked by this Apple Watch. On the Mac screen, you'll see Unlocking with Apple Watch.
today I found that I was not able anymore to unlock my Mac with my Apple Watch.
My setup is as follows:
iMac 21,5'(late 2013) with macOS 10.12.6
Apple Watch Nike+ 42 mm (series 2) with watchOS 3.2.3
This functionality always worked flawlessly up to a week ago when I disabled it because I sent my Apple Watch for a repair.
I received yesterday my new unit and made a recovery from a backup.
This morning I re-activated on the iMac the function 'unlock with Apple Watch' but the system prompted me firstly to unlock the iPhone (done) and then, after some minutes, that my Apple Watch needed to be worn and unlocked for this function to work; obviously I was wearing it and it was unlocked.
How To Unlock Macbook With Apple Watch
Apple support pages do not offer any help about this issue, except for a list of the requirements (Automatically unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch - Apple Support) for this feature which, in my case were met.
disable and re-enable the handoff feature on the Mac;
disable and re-enable the handoff feature on the iPhone.
After every action, I tried to activate the unlock feature unsuccessfully.
Any help?
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013), macOS Sierra (10.12), null
Posted on
Auto Unlock works when you're wearing your unlocked watch and are very close to your Mac. If necessary, move your watch a little closer.
Unlocking Mac With Apple Watch
How to automatically log in
Unlock Older Mac With Apple Watch Free
This feature gives you instant access to your Mac when you're wearing your Apple Watch. Just wake up your Mac and you’re ready to go—without typing a password.
The first time you log in after you turn on, restart, or log out of your Mac, you must log in by entering your password manually. After that, Apple Watch logs in for you.
How to approve other password requests
You can also use your Apple Watch to approve other requests to enter your administrator password. This feature requires watchOS 6 and macOS Catalina. It works anywhere you need to type your Mac password, such as when viewing passwords in Safari preferences, unlocking a locked note, approving an app installation, or unlocking settings in System Preferences.
For example, when you click the lock to make a change in System Preferences, your Mac prompts you to approve with Apple Watch or Touch ID:
To automatically enter your password without having to type it, just double-click the side button on your Apple Watch:
How to set up Auto Unlock
Make sure that your Mac and Apple Watch meet the system requirements for Auto Unlock.
Make sure that your devices are set up as follows:
Your Mac has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.
Your Mac and Apple Watch are signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID, and your Apple ID is using two-factor authentication.
Your Apple Watch is using a passcode.
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Security & Privacy. Select ”Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac” or ”Allow your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac.”
If you're not sure whether your Mac supports Auto Unlock, press and hold the Option key while choosing Apple menu > System Information. Select Wi-Fi in the sidebar, then look for ”Auto Unlock: Supported” on the right:
Learn more
If you're having difficulty getting Auto Unlock to work, try these solutions:
Unlock Older Mac With Apple Watch Online
In Security & Privacy preferences, deselect ”Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac” or ”Allow your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac.” Then restart your Mac and turn this setting back on.
Make sure that your Mac isn't using Internet sharing or screen sharing.
Using Apple Watch To Unlock Mac
Learn about more Continuity features for your Apple devices.