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Apple Watch not unlocking Mac (resolved)

After upgrading to Sequoia 15.0.1, my Apple Watch (Ultra in this case) stopped unlocking my Mac. This is what I did to resolve.


  1. On the Mac go into Settings->Touch ID & Password and turn off the setting that allows the watch to unlock the Mac.
  2. Quit Settings, then put the Mac to sleep (close the lid, etc.). A shutdown or reboot should also work (though not tested).
  3. Restart your Apple Watch and let it come up and connect to the net. You should be able to check the weather, for example. You'll need the full network stack up and running on the watch.
  4. Confirm that Bluetooth is turned on on your Apple Watch.
  5. Login to your Mac, go to Settings->Touch ID & Password and turn on the setting that allows the watch to unlock the Mac (i.e. reverse what you did in step 1).
  6. At this point you should be prompted for a password, then it will say, "syncing..." and will end with the slider showing that the setting is enabled.
  7. Test to see if it's fixed


This recipe did it for me.


Posted on Oct 23, 2024 12:53 PM

Reply
4 replies

Nov 5, 2024 8:33 AM in response to pars33ker

On Mac mini 2018 running 15.0.1 with Watch Gen 7 os 11.1. Didn't work. Message in setting says "Your Mac was unable to communicate with your Apple Watch. Make sure your Apple Watch is unlocked and on wrist, and your iPhone is unlocked."


Further, no problem with my MacBook Air tho it's running OS 14.


Any suggestions?

Apple Watch not unlocking Mac (resolved)

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