My iMac 24 used to automatically unlock regularly with my watch. Since the latest update it works sometimes but then stops working. All my devices have the latest update and I've restarted my Mac. Any ideas?
iMac 24″, macOS 13.3
Hopefully this will help some poor soul before they spend months and months as I did trying unsuccessfully to resolve this issue. I have a 2019 iMac 8 Core i9 and here is my story:
Auto-unlock worked perfectly since inception up until the April 2023 13.3 Ventura update. When the next few Ventura releases failed to fix the issue I spent dozens of hours over the course of the next 3 or 4 months scouring the internet for any possible solution. You name I did it... dozens of times, over-and-over-and-over, rebooting devices, signing out of iCloud accounts, resetting bluetooth modules, setting up alternate WiFi networks, deleting keychain entries and deleting related finder files. Any sporadic success was short lived and would break again after the very next reboot. I even reinstalled the operating system via Recovery Console, all to no avial.
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My specific error code in terminal was 138. Here is how to see your specific error code(s):
Step 1: Enter this in Terminal:
log stream --predicate 'category == "AutoUnlock" AND eventMessage contains "fail with error"'
Step 2: Attempt an Auto-Unlock
Terminal reported the following error after every failed Auto-Unlock:
sharingd: [com.apple.sharing:AutoUnlock] Client ack'd did fail with error: Error Domain=SFAutoUnlockErrorDomain Code=138 "Ranging Timeout: Couldn’t Find Peer" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Ranging Timeout: Couldn’t Find Peer}
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**The fix..... reset NVRAM/PRAM. On my 2019 iMac, simply hold down Option, Command, P, and R at startup**
Here are the detailed steps I took, I am not sure all were necessary but the NVRAM/PRAM reset in Step #5 was definitely necessary:
Let me know if this helped anyone.
Hopefully this will help some poor soul before they spend months and months as I did trying unsuccessfully to resolve this issue. I have a 2019 iMac 8 Core i9 and here is my story:
Auto-unlock worked perfectly since inception up until the April 2023 13.3 Ventura update. When the next few Ventura releases failed to fix the issue I spent dozens of hours over the course of the next 3 or 4 months scouring the internet for any possible solution. You name I did it... dozens of times, over-and-over-and-over, rebooting devices, signing out of iCloud accounts, resetting bluetooth modules, setting up alternate WiFi networks, deleting keychain entries and deleting related finder files. Any sporadic success was short lived and would break again after the very next reboot. I even reinstalled the operating system via Recovery Console, all to no avial.
--------------
My specific error code in terminal was 138. Here is how to see your specific error code(s):
Step 1: Enter this in Terminal:
log stream --predicate 'category == "AutoUnlock" AND eventMessage contains "fail with error"'
Step 2: Attempt an Auto-Unlock
Terminal reported the following error after every failed Auto-Unlock:
sharingd: [com.apple.sharing:AutoUnlock] Client ack'd did fail with error: Error Domain=SFAutoUnlockErrorDomain Code=138 "Ranging Timeout: Couldn’t Find Peer" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Ranging Timeout: Couldn’t Find Peer}
--------------
**The fix..... reset NVRAM/PRAM. On my 2019 iMac, simply hold down Option, Command, P, and R at startup**
Here are the detailed steps I took, I am not sure all were necessary but the NVRAM/PRAM reset in Step #5 was definitely necessary:
Let me know if this helped anyone.
This is very frustrating and as you can probably tell by now there is no ONE fix to this. And the fact is that there are MANY reasons why this may be failing, so the key thing is to try and figure our WHAT is causing this, and only then may you be able to apply an appropriate fix.
As it was mentioned earlier in this thread the 1st thing you should try is to run the following command in Terminal.
Step 1: Enter this in Terminal:
log stream --predicate 'category == "AutoUnlock" AND eventMessage contains "fail with error"'
Leave terminal running and
Step 2: Attempt an Auto-Unlock
Then check to see what error was returned in Terminal. In my case it appeared that I was getting a timeout error, specifically "ranging timeout error" which usually indicates a Wi-Fi issue, so I simply went into System Settings/Network/Wi-Fi/Details/TCP/IP and clicked on "Renew DHCP Lease" and my problem was fixed immediately without having to jump through any of the previous loops of turning things on and off, restarting, etc.
****** So add "Renew DHCP Lease" to the list of things to try.
If you get some other error (and I am sure you will) try and research and see what that error is related to, and you may be able to find the root of your issue.
ncollingridge,
I don't think there is anyone on this board that would disagree with your assessment that there is a bug in either MacOS, WatchOS or both. For me Apple Watch unlock worked perfectly from inception up to the April 2023 13.3 Ventura update.
Regardless here is a possible solution. Please perform ALL steps in this exact order:
At this point there is a 50/50 chance that iMac Unlock with Watch will work. If not, it may take a 2nd reboot of iMac and it will almost always work.
I find that sometimes functionality will survive many reboots and sometimes fails after the very next reboot and requires either the full the steps all over again or as in my case the abridged version below:
Let me know how you make out. Post with any questions.
CG
This happened to me as well. I had to turn off the System Settings -> Login Password -> Apple Watch option. Then completely shutdown the Mac. A restart isn't enough. Then power up the Mac login and turn the Apple Watch option back on. Authenticate with my password. Then lock the screen and see if I can unlock it with the Apple Watch.
It does require the latest iOS 16.4 and WatchOS 9.4 updates since Ventura has been updated to 13.3. Make sure all three devices are logged into the same Apple ID / iCloud account. Make sure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on all devices.
This seems to have worked for many people.
Try powering down the Mac and booting into Safe Mode. You can do that by holding the power button until you reach the Startup Options screen. Then let go and click once on the Macintosh HD boot volume and then press and hold Shift on your keyboard. The prompt below Macintosh HD will change from Continue to Continue in Safe Mode. While holding Shift, click on Continue in Safe Mode. The Mac will boot and have you login twice. When you reach the desktop, let it sit for about 5min. Then shutdown completely and power back on normally. This has the side effect of performing several maintenance tasks behind the scenes that can fix bizarre issues like this.
If it's still having trouble. Try going to Apple Watch on your iPhone then General -> Reset -> Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings. Then setup the Apple Watch again. I know it's tedious but that might fix your particular issue with it not working despite Apple fixing it for most others.
macOS 13.4 Ventura was released this afternoon. It specifically addresses the Apple Watch unlock issue as fixed.
What's new in the updates for macOS Ventura - Apple Support
macOS Ventura 13.4
macOS Ventura 13.4 includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices.
JE-Star,
As convoluted as the below list seems, please try ALL in this exact order:
If successful, you can try and do away with some steps but be prepared for some long stretches of trial and error.
I find that sometimes functionality will survive many reboots and sometimes fails after the very next reboot and requires the steps all over again.
Let me know how you make out. Post with any questions.
CG
EDIT: forgot to mention, Step 10 turn on "Watch Unlock" on iMac: If the first attempt at getting the pill indicator to stick should fail, move off of the "Login Password" menu and back on and try again.
The same one that JE-Star earlier in this thread, error 114 "Remote WiFi failure"
sharingd: [com.apple.sharing:AutoUnlock] Client ack'd did fail with error: Error Domain=SFAutoUnlockErrorDomain Code=114 "Remote WiFi failure" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Remote WiFi failure}
A quick check showed that my watch was on the same WiFi as my Mac, so I tried rebooting the watch. That fixed it. It had recently updated to the new WatchOS, guess it needed an extra reboot to get unlocking working again.
Been rock solid for me since running through the disabling of the feature. Full shutdown, power off and back on. Then re-enabling the Unlock with Apple Watch feature.
I had also updated the iPhone and Watch and rebooted both as well.
On my M1 Mac mini with Ventura 13.3 it's working. However, I have a brand new MBP 16" with M2 that is today showing a 13.3.1 update and one of the fixes is specifically for Apple Watch Unlock. This might be specific to particular Mac models.
Make sure macOS iPhone and Watch are both up to date as well.
macOS 13.3.1
iOS 16.4.1
WatchOS 9.4
Turn off the Unlock the Mac with Apple Watch.
Shutdown completely / Power Off
Power back on and turn it back on.
@JE-Star I got the exact same error, searching for it does not turn up much except your post but from the error message I concluded the problem seems to be with the watch, not the Mac.
For me, rebooting my watch solved the problem (it had worked before and stopped working everywhere, suggesting the WiFi network was not the issue)
This has occurred for me for a couple of years with my iMac 2017 27”, and still occurs with open core patcher and Sonoma 14.4. What fixes it EVERY TIME is an NVRAM reset with command-option-P-R. None of the other things mentioned here have worked for me on their own, and none of them were needed in addition…
This happened to me again. Fixed again, I hope! Turned off/on watch. Turned off unlock with watch on my Mac. Shut down. Restarted in Safe Mode. Waited for 5 minutes. Shut down and started again. Turned on unlock with watch. Works now.
Update to Ventura 13.3.1 solved the problem for me.
unlock Mac with Apple Watch
