John Titor 2078
Level 1 (9 points)
Mac OS X

Q: I have a iMac 27' 2012 with macOS Sierra and Apple Watch with watchOS 3, can i use "Log in from Apple Watch" feature ?

I have a iMac 27' 2012 with macOS Sierra and Apple Watch with watchOS 3, can i use "Log in from Apple Watch" feature ?

iMac, macOS Sierra (10.12)

Posted on Sep 21, 2016 1:27 AM

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John Titor 2078

Q: I have a iMac 27' 2012 with macOS Sierra and Apple Watch with watchOS 3, can i use "Log in from Apple Watch" feature ?

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  • by sterling r,

    sterling r sterling r Sep 21, 2016 1:45 PM in response to John Titor 2078
    Community Specialists
    Sep 21, 2016 1:45 PM in response to John Titor 2078
    Hi John Tito 2078,

    I understand that you have updated your iMac and Apple Watch and now you're curious about unlocking your iMac by using your Apple Watch. I know that this is a nice feature to be able to quickly and safely unlock your computer, so I'm happy to help.

    This feature is available on 2013 iMacs and later, which means that your iMac won't be compatible. You can see more about this feature here:
    Unlock your Mac with Apple Watch - Apple Watch User Guide

    Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities. Cheers!

  • by John Titor 2078,

    John Titor 2078 John Titor 2078 Sep 22, 2016 7:00 AM in response to sterling r
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 22, 2016 7:00 AM in response to sterling r

    Ok, I understand . I can't youse this feature with iMac 27 , 2012. But also have MacBook Pro 13 Early and can use this feature on this device?

  • by drumpat01,

    drumpat01 drumpat01 Sep 22, 2016 7:19 AM in response to John Titor 2078
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Sep 22, 2016 7:19 AM in response to John Titor 2078

    Your mac needs to have Bluetooth 4.0. You can find this by opening System Information and going to the Bluetooth section. Look for your LMP Version. If it says 4.0, then you should be ok.

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Sep 22, 2016 7:25 AM in response to John Titor 2078
    Level 10 (108,906 points)
    iCloud
    Sep 22, 2016 7:25 AM in response to John Titor 2078

    The documentation say you need a mid 2013 Mac:

     

    See this support document:  Automatically unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch - Apple Support

     

    Auto Unlock works when you're wearing your watch and are very close to your Mac. If necessary, move your watch a little closer.

    Set up Auto Unlock

    Make sure that your Mac and Apple Watch meet the Continuity system requirements:

    • Apple Watch (1st generation), Apple Watch Series 1, or Apple Watch Series 2 using watchOS 3
    • Mid-2013 or newer Mac using macOS Sierra

    Make sure that your Apple ID is using two-factor authentication instead of two-step verification.Make sure that your devices are set up as follows:

    • Your Mac has both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.
    • Your Mac and Apple Watch are signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID.
      On your Mac, choose Apple menu () > System Preferences, then click iCloud.
      On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, then go to General > Apple ID.
    • Your Apple Watch is using a passcode.
      On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, then tap Passcode.
    • Your Mac has ”Allow your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac” selected in Security & Privacy preferences.
      Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Security & Privacy, then select the General tab.

  • by joe_7399,

    joe_7399 joe_7399 Sep 22, 2016 7:26 AM in response to John Titor 2078
    Community Specialists
    Sep 22, 2016 7:26 AM in response to John Titor 2078
    HI John Tito 2078,

    Thanks for following up! Since your MacBook Pro​ is from 2013, it should be compatible with this feature. You can find out more about this feature in the article we shared previously here:

    Unlock your Mac with Apple Watch - Apple Watch User Guide


    Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities. Cheers!

  • by léonie,Helpful

    léonie léonie Sep 22, 2016 7:54 AM in response to joe_7399
    Level 10 (108,906 points)
    iCloud
    Sep 22, 2016 7:54 AM in response to joe_7399

    Hello, Joe, there are unfortunately conflicting informations in the Apple documentation.

    The Apple Watch User Guide, that you quoted, says "Mac (2013 or later) ", but the Apple Support Document

      Automatically unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch - Apple Support

    says more precisely  "Mid-2013 or newer Mac using macOS Sierra", which is leaving out the early 2013 Macs, probably because the missing Bluetooth 4.0. There have been quite a few user posting here, who could not get this feature to work on early 2023 Macs.

     

    If you have a direct line to the team writing the user guides and support documents, could you please ask them to update and resolve the conflicting items in the documentation " early 2013 Macs versus 2013 Macs"?

     

    Regards

    Léonie