Apple has made the iPhone the hub of your digital life, turning it into a media, email, health and safety hub of sorts. The Apple Watch is another quintessence of truly personal technology. Apple relies on proximity and other cues so that the watch, iPhone, and Mac can unlock each other without additional authentication.
You can unlock from one device to another in the following combinations.
Unlock your iPhone with Face ID using your Apple Watch
Apple added a feature in iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 to address an issue with face masks for correct Face ID recognition. AT Settings > Face ID and password, you can turn on Apple Watch unlock. This only works with iPhones that have Face ID and you have Face ID active.
To use your watch to unlock your iPhone, you must have a watch passcode set and wrist detection enabled; your watch must be on your wrist and unlocked. (Use the Watch app passcode settings to add a passcode and turn on wrist detection.) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must also be enabled on both devices. Your watch and iPhone should be about 10 meters (33 feet) apart – this is the standard distance specified for Bluetooth, but the range can vary – the closer, the more reliable it will work, the farther away.
What’s more, your iPhone can’t unlock with Face ID due to face coverings defined by iOS. Then and only then will your iPhone be unlocked using authentication from your watch. When it works, you’ll get a couple of vibrations via haptic feedback on your watch, and a banner will briefly appear on your iPhone. A lock button also appears on your watch for a moment, which you can press if you have accidentally unlocked your iPhone. If you click “Lock”, you will have to use your passcode to unlock your iPhone next time.
Although it seems like a lot of conditions, I have seen it work stably even when Face ID with a mask is also enabled in Settings > Face ID and password on my iPhone and Face ID can’t recognize me right away.
Unlock Apple Watch from iPhone
Conversely, you can use your iPhone to unlock your watch. In the Watch app, go to Password and turn on Unlock with iPhone. If you just put the watch on your wrist or it is locked for another reason, unlocking an iPhone nearby will also unlock the watch. Your iPhone will briefly display a banner with a lock button that you can press to cancel the operation. If you don’t touch it, your watch will unlock.
The feature arrived early on the Watch—so early that Apple hasn’t documented when it was first available. You can use it with any business hours and iPhone paired with them.
Unlock Mac with Apple Watch
In 2016, Apple updated macOS so you can unlock your PC with a nearby watch. It works with any watch and most Macs running versions of macOS released since late 2016. Your watch and Mac must be connected to the same Apple ID, and two-factor authentication must be enabled on your Apple ID account. (Apple sherlocked Knock, an app that can use an iPhone or watch to unlock your Mac.)
Go to System settings > Security and Privacy > General and select the Use Apple Watch to unlock apps and Mac check box. Enter your administrative password. macOS then communicates with your watch, which should be unlocked and on your wrist, and activates the feature.
In the upcoming macOS 13 Ventura, you may be prompted to enable the unlock feature, as I did after enabling it on another Mac on my network that was still running macOS 12 Monterey. To enable it, go to System settings > Touch ID and password and enable this feature under Apple Watch.
The next time your Mac is locked, simply being near the clock will unlock macOS. The usual disclaimers apply: this only works for unlocking, not for logging in. You must enter your Mac account password after rebooting, starting up after a power outage, or logging in if you logged out but didn’t turn off the power.
This feature also allows you to use your watch instead of entering an administrator password or using Touch ID on equipped Macs or with a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID on Apple M Series silicon computers. Your watch will use tactile sensations to get attention and then ask you to double-tap the side button to confirm.
As a precaution, Apple doesn’t let you unlock a Mac if its screen is being shared.
Apple advises you to check if this feature will work on your Mac: press and hold Option and select > System Information and press WiFi. Auto Unlock appears as a line item, and the app shows Supported if it’s running on your Mac.
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