Apple turned the iPhone into the center of your digital life, turning it into something of a media, email, health and security hub. An Apple Watch is an even further distillation of truly personal technology. Apple relies on proximity and other cues to allow a watch, iPhone, and Mac to unlock each other without the need for additional authentication.
You can unlock from one device to another in the following combinations.
Unlock your iPhone with Face ID with an Apple Watch
Apple added a feature in iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 to help with the problem of masks obscuring faces for proper Face ID recognition. In Settings > Face ID and Passcode, you can enable Unlock with Apple Watch. This only works with iPhones that have Face ID and you have Face ID active.
To use your watch to unlock your iPhone, you must have a watch passcode and wrist detection enabled; your watch should then be on your wrist and unlocked. (Use the Watch app passcode settings to add a passcode and enable wrist detection.) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must also be turned on on both devices. Your watch and iPhone should be within about 10 meters (33 feet), the standard distance quoted for Bluetooth, but ranges can vary — closer is more reliable than further away.
In fact, your iPhone must fail unlocking via Face ID due to face coverings as identified by iOS. Then, and only then, will your iPhone be unlocked via authentication from your watch. When it works, you will get a few vibrations via haptic feedback on your watch and a banner will appear briefly on your iPhone. A lock button will also briefly appear on your watch, which you can tap if you accidentally unlock your iPhone. If you tap Lock, the next time you do this, you’ll need to use your passcode to unlock your iPhone.
While it seems like a lot of conditions, I’ve seen it work consistently even when Face ID with a mask is also enabled in Settings > Face ID and Passcode on my iPhone and Face ID doesn’t recognize me right away.
Unlock your Apple Watch from an iPhone
Conversely, you can use your iPhone to unlock your watch. In the Watch app, go to Access code and enable Unlock with iPhone. If you just put your watch on your wrist or it’s locked for some other reason, your watch will also unlock if you unlock your iPhone nearby. Your iPhone briefly displays a banner with a lock button that you can tap to cancel the operation. If you don’t tap it, your watch is unlocked.
This feature appeared early on with the Watch — so early that Apple didn’t document when it was first available. You can use it with any working watch and iPhone paired to it.
Unlock a Mac from an Apple Watch
In 2016, Apple updated macOS to allow you to unlock your computer from a nearby watch. It works with any Watch model and most Mac models with macOS versions released since late 2016. Your Watch and the Mac must be signed in to the same Apple ID and two-factor authentication must be enabled on the Apple ID account. (Apple has sherlocked Knock, an app that could use an iPhone or Watch to unlock your Mac.)
Go to System Preferences > Security and Privacy > General and check “Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac.” Enter your administrator password. macOS then communicates with your watch, which must be unlocked and on your wrist, and enables the feature.
In the upcoming macOS 13 Ventura, you may be prompted to enable the unlock feature, as I did after enabling it on another Mac on my network that was still running macOS 12 Monterey. To enable it, go to System settings > Tap ID & Password and enable the feature under Apple Watch.
The next time your Mac is locked, macOS will be unlocked just by being nearby while wearing your watch. The usual disclaimers apply: it only works for unlocking, not logging in. You must enter your Mac account password after a reboot, power up from a shutdown state, or sign in if you are signed out but not turned off.
This feature also allows you to use your Watch instead of entering an administrator password or using Touch ID on equipped Macs or with the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID on Apple M-series silicone Macs. Your watch uses haptics for attention and then prompts you to double-click the side button to approve.
As a security measure, Apple won’t let you unlock your Mac when the screen is shared.
Apple recommends that you check if this feature works on your Mac: hold Option and choose > System Information and click Wi-Fi. Auto unlock shows up as a line item and the app shows Supported if it works on your Mac.
Ask Mac 911
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