HT206995: Automatically unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch

Learn about Automatically unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch
PedroM85

Q: Your Mac was unable to communicate with your Apple Watch

Hi,

 

I do not know if anyone else have found this situation but I'm not able to activate the "Allow your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac" feature activated.

All the devices are on the same Wi-Fi, all logged in with the same Apple ID, passcode activated on the Watch but still nothing.

 

I have the FileVault activated on my Macbook Air. Can this influence?

Watch Sport 42MM (1st gen), watchOS 3

Posted on Sep 21, 2016 5:06 AM

Close

Q: Your Mac was unable to communicate with your Apple Watch

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Previous Page 2
  • by Don Wise,

    Don Wise Don Wise Sep 24, 2016 9:01 AM in response to PedroM85
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 24, 2016 9:01 AM in response to PedroM85

    To support this thread and for those following it, please see this Community Link:  Unlocking Mac Pro with Apple Watch

     

    By going to the Apple Watch app on your phone and ensuring that you're signed in with your Apple ID AND then restarting the Apple Watch, this action also appears to be a viable solution...

  • by dathb,

    dathb dathb Sep 24, 2016 9:04 AM in response to WolF22
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 24, 2016 9:04 AM in response to WolF22

    Signing in and out of FaceTime and Messages worked for me; the handoff trick didn't.

     

    Thanks!!

  • by Leatherhead_Dude,

    Leatherhead_Dude Leatherhead_Dude Sep 24, 2016 11:33 AM in response to kaixendog
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 24, 2016 11:33 AM in response to kaixendog

    This did the trick for me. I was having trouble doing this for both my imac and my macbook pro. I had to toggle handoff off then on for both and it did the trick.

  • by teroyks,

    teroyks teroyks Sep 26, 2016 2:43 AM in response to PedroM85
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 26, 2016 2:43 AM in response to PedroM85

    Still not working after trying all the things included in the original support article, and also above in this thread (including signing out and back in again in FaceTime and Messages, turning Handoff off and back on, logging on this thread with the two-factor authentication, and making sure FileVault is disabled.

  • by GTI15,

    GTI15 GTI15 Sep 26, 2016 1:02 PM in response to PedroM85
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 26, 2016 1:02 PM in response to PedroM85

    I had the exact same issue with my mid-2014 MacBook Pro 13", 1st gen Apple Watch, iPhone 7+ and I just fixed it after reading all the replies here. I followed the setup exactly the way they said it and yet the issue was still present. What I did to fix it was toggled handoff on my Mac on and off, issue persists. Signed out and back in of FaceTime on my Mac, issue persists. Signed out and back in of FaceTime on my iPhone, issue resolved.

  • by Ggolden57,

    Ggolden57 Ggolden57 Sep 26, 2016 4:42 PM in response to kaixendog
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 26, 2016 4:42 PM in response to kaixendog

    this worked for me also!

  • by hovercroft,

    hovercroft hovercroft Oct 1, 2016 2:36 AM in response to kaixendog
    Level 1 (29 points)
    Oct 1, 2016 2:36 AM in response to kaixendog

    Worked for me. Thanks

  • by WolF22,

    WolF22 WolF22 Oct 1, 2016 5:26 AM in response to teroyks
    Level 1 (17 points)
    Oct 1, 2016 5:26 AM in response to teroyks

    Hi Sorry to hear you are still having problems unlocking your mac with your apple watch. I know you said you have tried all recommendations I did the same until I signed in & out of FaceTime. But I forgot to mention that whilst I was doing everything that was recommended, I missed turning on & off the handoff on the Apple watch app on my IPhone its in My Watch app, General, Enable Handoff. Its just a hunch as I read somewhere before in a thread that the My watch app does not have a handoff setting, so I did not bother to check. it does have the setting. good luck. WolF

  • by transperigee,

    transperigee transperigee Oct 1, 2016 7:26 PM in response to PedroM85
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 1, 2016 7:26 PM in response to PedroM85

    Mine starting working after I set FaceTime  on my iPhone to use my Apple ID:

     

    Settings -> Facetime / Apple ID:

     

    - If your apple ID is not currently showing, click the text and enter your appleid and password at the propt.

     

    After doing this, my Mac could finally communicate with my watch.

  • by endgrent,

    endgrent endgrent Oct 2, 2016 1:10 PM in response to WolF22
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 2, 2016 1:10 PM in response to WolF22

    Thank you WolF22, this solved it for me as well. The key was:

     

    1. Critical Step: Doing a full Sign Out on iCloud on the mac. (I did save cloud data so it's faster to log back in. This took quite a while, since icloud stuff had to update stuff).
    2. Restart mac and phone, just to be sure.
    3. Sign into icloud on mac again
    4. Verify iphone is signed in correctly (I had to create a icloud security passcode for some reason).
    5. At this point Sierra actually asked me if I wanted to login with watch. A good sign! I said yes, but nothing happened ;-).
    6. Finally, go to System Preferences and check the Allow your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac checkbox. It works immediately.

     

    Definitely keep trying. The feature is worth it, even if it's hard to setup.

     

    Update: Just to be extra clear for you all still trying! You should sign out of facetime, messages as well on your mac. Make sure you're on the same wireless network, have bluetooth, are fully updated, and the watch is unlocked and rebooted. Good luck.

  • by femp,

    femp femp Oct 8, 2016 2:57 PM in response to WolF22
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 8, 2016 2:57 PM in response to WolF22

    I did try for days and now I really give up. Frustration is the only word I can use.

    I did try all suggestions in the whole internet but "it simply does not work".. unbelievable!!

    Switched on/off handoff, verified handoff, logged in/out of icloud, enabled 2FA, restarted iPhone, Watch and MBP, connected to same wifi, did try on 2.4 ghz and 5 ghz network, verified Watch connection without iPhone, verified handoff with Mac.. IT DOES NOT WORK!

Previous Page 2