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A handy feature for Apple Watch wearers that own Macs is using it to unlock your Mac (auto-unlock) and for folks using macOS Catalina and above, unlock your apps so you don’t need to enter a passcode! Instead, use your Apple Watch to authenticate passwords or approve app installations on your Mac with just a tap on your Apple Watch’s Side button–that’s it.
This is feature that has been around for a little while now, and is one of the great features of the Apple ecosystem. It’s just important to make sure that your devices are compatible and properly set up. But if you’ve done everything and still can’t unlock apps on Mac with your Apple Watch, we have some suggestions too.
With the help of “Continuity”, Apple has turned the Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch into an unstoppable all-in-one platform. Being able to start reading an article or responding to an email on your iPhone, and pick it up to continue reading or writing from your Mac or iPad is incredible.
But Continuity doesn’t stop there, as it makes things like “Auto Unlock” a reality, without the need for finicky third-party app solutions. In order to get this set up for the first time, there are a few steps that you need to take. All of these are to ensure that your devices are compatible, along with keeping everything as secure as possible.
Before you can even try to get started with setting up Auto Unlock, it’s important to make sure that your devices are compatible. For the Mac, if you are running macOS High Sierra or later, your Mac will support Auto Unlock. As for the Watch, it must be running at least watchOS 3. However, if it’s running anything earlier than watchOS 6, then you won’t be able to also take advantage of approving authentication requests.
If you meet all of the above pre-requisites, then you can get all of this set up and working between your Mac and Apple Watch.
It’s highly unlikely that your Apple ID does not already have Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) enabled. Apple prompts and reminds users on a regular basis, especially during setting up a device, to have this enabled. However, if you want to either double check and get it set up, here’s how you can do so from the Mac.
A new browser window will appear, where you will be taken through the steps to set up and activate two-factor authentication. If recent history is any indication, you really can’t go wrong with having 2FA enabled, as it’s one of the best and strongest ways to keep your accounts secure.
The same reasoning for not having 2FA enabled on your Apple ID goes for not having a passcode on your Apple Watch. But if you just skipped those steps during the initial setup, or you need to update the passcode, here’s how you can do so.
For those who want to feel more secure about the passcode being used, don’t fear. After setting the four-digit code during the initial setup, you can then go back and turn off Simple Passcode to create something a bit more secure.
If you have FileVault enabled on your Mac, Automatic Login will already be disabled. But for the uninitiated, this feature has been around for years and makes it so your Mac does not prompt you for a password whenever starting, waking, or logging in. Here’s how you can make sure it’s disabled.
Now that everything is set up with your Apple ID, Mac, and Watch, here’s how you can turn on Auto Unlock from your Mac.
Once you have gotten everything started up, you’ll be able to wake your Mac and approve app requests easier than ever. For waking your Mac, just walk (or sit down) near it, and press any keyboard key. Or, you can simply open the display lid, if you are using a MacBook or MacBook Pro.
When it comes time for your Mac to require an app request approval, there’s nothing that you will have to do with your Mac. Instead, the Apple Watch will vibrate to get your attention, and then you’ll see a prompt to Double Click to Approve. Double-click the Side Button and the request will immediately be granted on your Mac.
If you believe you set this up and it’s not working, it can be aggravating. We’ll walk you through several things you can check and try to get this handy unlocking feature working properly.
If you believe you set this up and it’s not working, it can be aggravating. We’ll walk you through several things you can check and try to get this handy unlocking feature working properly.
To double-check that your Mac supports Auto Unlock, follow these steps:
Under the Interfaces section, you will see an option called Auto Unlock. If your Mac supports this feature, a status will be shown that says Supported. This lets you know whether your Mac supports Auto Unlock or not. But it will only appear on Macs running at least macOS High Sierra.
First, make sure that you have turned on the Auto Unlock feature on your Mac.
Provided that you have already enabled the Unlock Mac feature, there is one other important aspect to keep in mind — distance. We have found that your Watch and Mac must be within four-feet of each other in order for it to work properly. This may be different for everyone, and you have to consider any other devices in between that could cause interference (i.e Bluetooth peripherals.).
Sometimes the “uptime” of your devices gets a little long in the tooth, and there’s a bunch of cruft and stuff that needs to get cleaned. A simple restart can fix a boat load of problems, including if you can’t unlock apps on Mac with your Apple Watch. Here’s how to restart your Mac and Watch.
In the event that you need to Force Restart your watch, press and hold the Side Button and Digital Crown at the same time. Continue holding for at least 10 seconds, and then release both buttons when the Apple Logo appears.
Another big culprit for issues with software features is if there’s a new update available. Bugs are prevalent on every software release, and that’s why we see regular updates from Apple for our devices. In many cases, the minor updates will “fix” problematic issues, even if that problem is not specifically outlined in the software release notes. So you want to make sure that your Apple Watch and Mac are running the latest stable version.
There are actually two different ways for you to check for a software update for your Apple Watch. And this all has to do with using either your iPhone or your Watch itself. Here’s how to check for watchOS software updates.
The macOS software cycle has not been kind in recent years, but the future is looking brighter. And if you want all of your favorite features to keep working, you’ll need to make sure that your Mac is updated.
This isn’t the first time you’ve heard it, and it won’t be the last time. But there’s an app for everything on the App Store, and that includes third-party solutions to try and make it easier to unlock your Mac. What’s even more awesome is that these applications can allow you to unlock your Mac using your iPhone, removing the Apple Watch from the equation. Here are a couple that we found:
Since these are not “official” solutions, there’s no guarantee that they will work properly, even if you set up everything up according to the developer. However, if done correctly, you may discover a new app that you never even thought about using, and can bypass the Watch/Mac frustrations altogether.
Andrew is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US.
He has written for a variety of sites over the years, including iMore, Android Central, Phandroid, and a few others. Now, he spends his days working for an HVAC company, while moonlighting as a freelance writer at night.
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