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It seems a little sketchy that you can just open someones computer and that it will be auto unlocked just because they're apple watch is near by. How far away do you have to be from the Mac so that you can't auto-unlock?
Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3.2.3
I had previously posted the following:
I've found that it won't unlock if my watch is 10 feet away. I think it uses Bluetooth LE, which has a range of about 1 meter (~3 feet).
It was deleted by the hosts, because it contained some questionable advice. I was advised to test my answer (which I thought I did, but apparently not thoroughly enough). So here is more thorough testing using my MacBook Pro (note that results may be different for a MacBook Air).
Tests were repeated with the same results 3 times. The 3rd was because the MBP crashed after going to sleep, and had to be shut down and restarted.
Thus, we can reasonably conclude that 48 inches (4 feet or 1.22 meters) is the maximum distance that the watch can be and still unlock a MacBook Pro.
And also the Hosts were correct; if I had tested, my guess of "about 1 meter" was wrong. It is actually 1.2 meters.
I had previously posted the following:
I've found that it won't unlock if my watch is 10 feet away. I think it uses Bluetooth LE, which has a range of about 1 meter (~3 feet).
It was deleted by the hosts, because it contained some questionable advice. I was advised to test my answer (which I thought I did, but apparently not thoroughly enough). So here is more thorough testing using my MacBook Pro (note that results may be different for a MacBook Air).
Tests were repeated with the same results 3 times. The 3rd was because the MBP crashed after going to sleep, and had to be shut down and restarted.
Thus, we can reasonably conclude that 48 inches (4 feet or 1.22 meters) is the maximum distance that the watch can be and still unlock a MacBook Pro.
And also the Hosts were correct; if I had tested, my guess of "about 1 meter" was wrong. It is actually 1.2 meters.
How far away do you have to be from the Mac so that you can't auto-unlock?
It really depends. Sometimes I am seeing the message that I need to move closer, when I am sitting right in front of my Mac. But occasionally my watch is showing me "Mac unlocked" on my watch, when I am in the neighboring room (the walls of our offices are very thin) and someone woke the Mac by touching the keyboard. Then I had to hurry back to see who is in my office.
I was thinking more along the lines of that: I have an apple watch and I use auto-unlock for my Macbook Air. I then leave my computer locked. How far away do I have to be so that my computer won't unlock for a stranger when they open it?
ZuBran wrote:
I was thinking more along the lines of that: I have an apple watch and I use auto-unlock for my Macbook Air. I then leave my computer locked. How far away do I have to be so that my computer won't unlock for a stranger when they open it?
I don't believe the computer will unlock if it's closed. However, if you're out of sight of your computer, I'd be more concerned about someone walking off with it.
My watch is also a "classic". I noticed that it unlocked my MacBook Pro from the neighboring room through the wall first with the first version of WatchOS 3 and again later with WatchOS 3.1.
I don't remember if it ever happened with the current version.
Through a wall would not in itself be an issue. Bluetooth is not stopped by ordinary wallboard. If there was lath that was wire mesh it might. But the distance through the wall to the computer is what matters. At 2.6 GHz not much will stop it.
Hi
Apple advises that Auto Unlock only works when you are wearing your unlocked watch and are "very close" to your Mac:
Automatically unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch - Apple Support
You can't open "someone's computer". You can only open the one the watch is paired to. If I come to your house and sit down right next to your computer, may watch will have no effect.
Thank you for doing the experiment. That's with a Series 2?
No, a "classic" as Coca-Cola would say.
I couldn't remember. I don't know that there's anything about the Series 2 that would change your results.
It is just a bit unsettling if I can accidentally unlock the Mac when I can't see it.
How far away do you have to be from the Mac so that you can't auto-unlock?
