Apple has made the iPhone the center of your digital life, turning it into a kind of media, email, health, and security hub. The Apple Watch is an additional compendium of truly personal technology. Apple relies on proximity and other cues to allow the 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 iPhone with Face ID with Apple Watch
Apple added a feature in iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 to help with the problem of masking faces for proper Face ID recognition. in Settings > Face ID and Passcode, you can enable Unlock with your Apple Watch. This only works with iPhones that have Face ID and have an active Face ID.
To use your watch to unlock your iPhone, you must have a passcode set for your watch 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 turn on Wrist Detection.) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must be enabled on both devices as well. Your watch and iPhone should be within about 10 meters (33 feet), which is the stated standard distance for Bluetooth, but range may vary – the closer will work more reliably than the farther.
Furthermore, your iPhone should fail to unlock via Face ID due to face coverings as defined by iOS. Then, and only then, your iPhone will be unlocked via authentication from your watch. When it works, you’ll get two vibrations via haptic feedback on your watch, and a banner will briefly appear on your iPhone. The lock button appears momentarily on your watch as well, and you can tap on it if you unlocked your iPhone by chance. If you click Lock, you must use your passcode to unlock your iPhone the next time you do so.
Although it seems like many conditions, I have seen that it works consistently even when Face ID with Mask is also enabled in Settings > Face ID and Passcode On my iPhone, Face ID failed to recognize me immediately.
For more information, read: How to use Face ID to unlock iPhone while wearing a face mask
Unlock your Apple Watch from iPhone
On the contrary, you can use your iPhone to unlock your watch. In the Watch app, go to pass code and enable Unlock with iPhone. If you only put your watch on your wrist or it is locked for some other reason, unlocking your iPhone in close proximity will also unlock your watch. Your iPhone briefly displays a banner with a lock button that you can tap to cancel the process. If you don’t click on it, your watch will be unlocked.
This feature came out early 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 with it.
Unlock your Mac from your Apple Watch
In 2016, Apple updated macOS to allow you to unlock your computer within an hour. It works with any Watch model and most Mac models running versions of macOS released since late 2016. Your watch and Mac must be signed in to the same Apple ID, and two-factor authentication must be enabled on your Apple ID. (Apple sherlocked Knock, an app that can use your iPhone or Watch to unlock your Mac.)
go to the System Preferences > Secretariat & amp; Privacy > general And select “Use your Apple Watch to open apps and your Mac.” Enter your administrative password. macOS then communicates with your watch, which needs to be opened and on your wrist, enabling the feature.
In the upcoming macOS 13 Ventura, you may be prompted to turn on the unlock feature, as I was after enabling it on a different Mac on my network that was still running macOS 12 Monterey. To enable it, go to system configuration > Touch ID and Password and enable the feature within your Apple Watch.
The next time your Mac is locked, just being near you while wearing your watch will unlock macOS. The usual disclaimer applies: it only works to unlock no login. You have to enter your Mac’s account password after restarting, starting from shutdown, or logging in if you’re logged out but not shutting down.
This feature also allows you to use your watch instead of entering an administrative password, using Touch ID on equipped Macs, or using Magic Keyboard with Touch ID with M-series Apple silicon Macs. Your watch will use touches to get attention and then prompt you to double-click the side button to agree.
As a security precaution, Apple doesn’t allow you to unlock your Mac if its screen is being shared.
Apple advises that you can check to see if this feature will work on your Mac: Hold the option and choose > System Information and click WIFI. “Auto unlock” appears as a line item, and the app will display “Supported” if it’s running on your Mac.
Read: How to Unlock Your Mac with Apple Watch for more tips. We also cover how to unlock a Mac with an iPhone separately.
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