HT206995: Automatically unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch

Learn about Automatically unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch
andy.phan

Q: I cannot see "Allow your Apple Watch to Unlock Your Mac"

I have installed macOD Sierra Version 10.12, iOS 10.0.1 and WatchOS 3.0.

 

On my Mac, i goto System Preference -> Security & Privacy -> General

 

I cannot see the "Allow your Apple Watch to Unlock Your Mac" option.

 

privacy.png

iOS 10

Posted on Sep 21, 2016 3:44 AM

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Q: I cannot see "Allow your Apple Watch to Unlock Your Mac"

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  • by thanh tiep,

    thanh tiep thanh tiep Sep 24, 2016 12:49 PM in response to andy.phan
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 24, 2016 12:49 PM in response to andy.phan

    I have the same problem. The weird thing is, it worked for my macbook pro, but didnt work on my macbook air. I' m pretty much sure that i did all the steps right. Could anyone say what else could be the source of this problem? 

  • by Hank Driskill,

    Hank Driskill Hank Driskill Sep 24, 2016 6:59 PM in response to Jonathan UK
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 24, 2016 6:59 PM in response to Jonathan UK

    Late 2015 iMac, check.

    Apple ID flipped to 2-factor... check.

    Both signed onto the same iCloud account... always!

    Brand new watch, has passcode, check.

    Handoff turned on for Mac and iPhone 7... check.

    Watch, phone, computer, all unlocked... check.

    Bluetooth and wifi turned on for Mac and Phone... check.

     

    No option in Security for allowing watch.  Just not showing up.

  • by rdealba,

    rdealba rdealba Sep 24, 2016 9:58 PM in response to Hank Driskill
    Level 1 (14 points)
    iCloud
    Sep 24, 2016 9:58 PM in response to Hank Driskill

    Try deleting the iwatch from your devices in the Apple ID web page. See if it appears with the iOS 2 instead of 3.

    Hope that help

  • by Bryan Buff,

    Bryan Buff Bryan Buff Sep 28, 2016 5:21 AM in response to amuir
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Sep 28, 2016 5:21 AM in response to amuir

    manageappleid.com is a malicious/phishing site. DO NOT give your credentials here. The correct site is https://appleid.apple.com

  • by pgillyboo,

    pgillyboo pgillyboo Sep 29, 2016 2:03 PM in response to Hank Driskill
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 29, 2016 2:03 PM in response to Hank Driskill

    I have this same issue.

  • by Bryan Buff,

    Bryan Buff Bryan Buff Sep 29, 2016 2:09 PM in response to andy.phan
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Sep 29, 2016 2:09 PM in response to andy.phan

    I had this same issue. It WAS working and then all of sudden I noticed it wasn't, so I checked the settings and the option wasn't even shown anymore. Yesterday, I got a notification asking if I wanted to turn it on. Out of nowhere. I have no idea why it stopped working or why it suddenly started working again.

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Sep 29, 2016 10:30 PM in response to Bryan Buff
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Sep 29, 2016 10:30 PM in response to Bryan Buff

    Bryan Buff wrote:

     

    I had this same issue. It WAS working and then all of sudden I noticed it wasn't, so I checked the settings and the option wasn't even shown anymore. Yesterday, I got a notification asking if I wanted to turn it on. Out of nowhere. I have no idea why it stopped working or why it suddenly started working again.

    It may have been a problem with the paired iPhone.  The option to unlock the Mac will vanish, if the iPhone is no longer paired with watch. In that case try to unpair the watch and pair it again.

  • by bglemoine,

    bglemoine bglemoine Sep 30, 2016 3:00 PM in response to Jonathan UK
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Sep 30, 2016 3:00 PM in response to Jonathan UK

    I have a late 2012 iMac - what's missing on that system that's preventing the apple watch unlocking from working?

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Oct 1, 2016 12:40 AM in response to bglemoine
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Oct 1, 2016 12:40 AM in response to bglemoine

    It is the network card.   You can check the type of card in your Mac in the system profile, see this user tip:  https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-10672

     

    Some users here managed to upgrade the Mac so it supports Automatic unlock  by replacing the network card.

  • by bikeguy-CA,

    bikeguy-CA bikeguy-CA Oct 2, 2016 10:35 AM in response to amuir
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 2, 2016 10:35 AM in response to amuir

    I have this exact problem also on the 2015 iMac.  The use watch to unlock option is no longer presented.

     

    Add to this, when I logged out of my iCloud account on my iMac as part of moving from 2 Step to 2 Factor and logged back in, all of my contacts DOUBLED.  Since I tried this twice, it went to 4 copies of each contact.   Using the Remove Duplicates tool only brought me back to 2 duplicates.   This is crazy.

     

    Probably going to contact Apple support when I have time.

  • by bikeguy-CA,

    bikeguy-CA bikeguy-CA Oct 2, 2016 12:22 PM in response to bikeguy-CA
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 2, 2016 12:22 PM in response to bikeguy-CA

    Followup up to my post, I un-paired and re-paired my apple watch.  That finally got the "Allow your Apple Watch to Unlock your Mac" to show in Preferences. 

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Oct 2, 2016 12:55 PM in response to bikeguy-CA
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Oct 2, 2016 12:55 PM in response to bikeguy-CA

    bikeguy-CA wrote:

     

    Followup up to my post, I un-paired and re-paired my apple watch.  That finally got the "Allow your Apple Watch to Unlock your Mac" to show in Preferences.

    Yes,  the Help for System Preferences lists, that the unlock feature will be hidden, if the watch is not paired with its iPhone, even if the computer should support this feature. You can see this, if you type "unlock" into the search field of the System preferences.

     

    Screen Shot 2016-09-23 at 11.40.10GMT.png

  • by PlazMAG,

    PlazMAG PlazMAG Oct 3, 2016 7:04 PM in response to andy.phan
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple Watch
    Oct 3, 2016 7:04 PM in response to andy.phan

    I've tried all of the solutions suggested, and I'm still not seeing the option in my System Preferences. I've tried:

    1. Restarting my Macbook
    2. Restarting my iPhone
    3. Restarting my Apple Watch
    4. Confirmed that Bluetooth was on on all devices. Also tried turning it off and back on.
    5. Confirmed that I'm using 2-factor auth (not 2-step)
    6. Unpaired and repaired my Apple Watch
    7. Signed out of iCloud on my Mac and iPhone, and signed back in on both devices.

    Not sure what's left to try.

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Oct 3, 2016 10:59 PM in response to PlazMAG
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Oct 3, 2016 10:59 PM in response to PlazMAG

    What model is your Mac?  See: How to check if a Mac Supports Auto Unlock with... | Communities

     

    • The most specific list is here:

    System requirements for Continuity on Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch - Apple Support Screen Shot 2016-09-29 at 22.41.51.png

    • The Mac Help points out a way to check this using the System Information: 
      "System Information can confirm if your Mac supports Auto Unlock. Choose Apple menu > About This Mac, then click System Report. In the sidebar, click Network, click Wi-Fi, then look in the Interfaces section for Auto Unlock."

     

    So, when in doubt, look at the system profile  > About This Mac, System Report and check the Network > Wi-Fi section, if the the installed card type for your network supports the Auto Unlock feature.

     

    Screen Shot 2016-09-23 at 12.08.13GMT.jpg

  • by PlazMAG,

    PlazMAG PlazMAG Oct 4, 2016 6:14 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple Watch
    Oct 4, 2016 6:14 AM in response to léonie

    I'm using a Gen 1 Apple Watch and MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013). I know that my devices are compatible because I was using the feature fine for a week when Sierra was released. However, it stopped working one day, and the option disappeared. Strangely enough, today I received a desktop notification on my Mac prompting me to turn on the feature. However, when I clicked the link, it brought me to System Preferences and nothing was there.

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