Do not lift your finger to lock your Mac after waking it up from sleeping
Some people may enjoy their Macs to the max however, they’re always feeling that it’s missing in a particular area. The Mac doesn’t have the option of Face ID to unlock the device. While Touch ID is quite convenient however, it’s not as convenient as Face ID, where you don’t have to touch your finger (get it?) to unlock your device.
To be honest, using the Touch ID every time your Mac is locked may become boring after a few. If you’re Mac doesn’t have Touch ID and you have to type in your password each time, wouldn’t a different method be more convenient?
If you have the Apple watch, you’re lucky! It’s true that the Apple Watch can unlock your Mac quickly and without lifting the finger. And configuring the device to unlock is easy. This feature is known as Auto-Unlock and this is how you can utilize it.
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How Does Auto-Unlock Work?
Auto-Unlock on the Apple Watch can unlock your Macs instantly. However, for it to function you must be wearing your Apple watch, and it must be unlocked.
In the meantime then, your Mac will be able to detect when it detects that your Apple Watch is nearby when it awakes from sleep, and then it will unlock automatically. All you need to do is wake the Mac from sleep, and you’ll get a notification via the screen of your Apple Watch that indicates it was utilized to open your Mac. It’s as easy as that.
Auto-Unlock can also be used to accept any other request that requires you to input the administrator’s password in your Mac.
There is no need to worry about someone using this feature to unlock your device as you must be close to the device when wearing the watch , and it must be password protected but not locked.
There are couple of strings that Auto-Unlock has to be tied to.
It’s only able to access your Mac as it wakes up from a sleep. If you’re logging into the first time following switching on, restarting, or exiting your Mac then you’ll have to input your password in a manual manner, the same like you would use Touch ID.
There are other situations, too when Mac will not accept Touch ID, it won’t unlock using Apple Watch either. One of the reasons is Touch ID not being recognized five times in a row or if you haven’t locked your Mac within the last 48 days.
Prerequisites to use Auto-Unlock on the Apple Watch
Certain requirements must be fulfilled before you are able to utilize this feature to unlock your Mac.
To begin for starters, the Mac must be in mid-2013 or later and running macOS High Sierra 10.13 or later, at the very minimum. This is a complete list of compatible Macs:
- MacBook was introduced in 2015 or later.
- MacBook Pro introduced in late 2013 or later.
- MacBook Air introduced in 2013 or later.
- Mac mini was introduced in 2014 or later.
- iMac was introduced in 2013 or later.
- iMac Pro
- Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later.
- Mac Studio
You can also make use of the Apple Watch to accept requests that require administrator passwords Your Mac must be running macOS Catalina 10.15 or later.
If you’re not sure if your Mac is compatible with this feature, simply press the option button of your keyboard, and select the Apple logo when you press it. After that, select “System Information in the menu. In the new window click on ‘Wi-Fi’ on the left sidebar, and locate the Auto-Unlock feature to the right. It should be able to say “Supported” if it doesn’t then it’s time to end the entire process.
This is about Mac. Your Apple watch should also be an earlier or series 3 device that runs at least watchOS 7 or higher software.
In addition to the software and hardware prerequisites There are additional requirements to meet before you can install Auto-Unlock.
- Both Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth must be turned on in your Mac.
- The Mac as well as the Apple Watch should be signed into one Apple ID.
- It is recommended that the Apple ID in question should be able to authenticate two times.
- The Apple Watch should have a passcode that is activated.
Setting up Passcode for your Apple Watch
If you’re not using an encryption method for the Apple Watch, here’s how you can make it possible.
You can access your Home Screen of your Apple Watch by pressing the crown.
After that, open the app ‘Settings’ by selecting the grid in the app or the app list.
Scroll down to the settings, and then tap the button for ‘Passcode’..
Tap the button to ‘Turn Passcode On’ and then set an encryption key.
Auto-Unlocking is a feature you can enable from your Mac
Once all the pawns have been put set, it’s time to show them off. To enable Auto-Unlock on your Mac start by opening the ‘System Settings’ application.
From the navigation menu to the left, click “Login Password”.
Under the menu to ‘Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac to unlock apps and your Mac’, turn on the switch next to your watch’s name. If you have multiple watches, select the one you wish to use for this feature.
Enter your passcode for unlocking this option and then select ‘Unlock’. The settings will syncand then you’re done! The Apple Watch can now unlock your Mac.
These instructions apply to the most recent version of macOS Ventura which uses a revamped System Settings app.
For macOS Monterey and earlier you can go on the Apple logo > System Preferences. Select the Security option. and Privacy’. After that, select the option for General. Select the checkbox that is next to ‘Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac or ‘Allow the Apple Watch to unlock your Mac according to the option that is available on your system.
The next time you get up from your Mac after a night of sleeping Your Apple Watch will be able to unlock it. The unlock notification , along with tactile feedback to your wrist.
To accept other requests with the Apple Watch that require an administrator password, for example accessing passwords in Safari or unlocking a locked notepad or approving the installation of an app, and unlocking settings within System settings, just click the side button on the side of your Apple Watch when prompted.
Passwords, particularly lengthy ones, can be a real pain even when they’re vital for security purposes. By using the auto-unlock function, the Apple Watch will make unlocking your Mac much easier than it was previously.