How can I ensure my Apple Watch unlocks my iMac?

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Level 2

161 points

How can I ensure my Apple Watch unlocks my iMac?

My iMac running Sonoma knows my Apple Watch is nearby, as it says the watch is going to unlock the Mac, and there's a rotating indicator shown, but the unlock never happens. Instead I have to use my administrator password to unlock the Mac. I have tried restarting the Mac but has no effect.

This has got to be a bug - but is there a workaround?

A secondary point is that the widget that shows the power status of connected devices shows the iMac itself and some Bluetooth headphones, but not the watch. The equivalent widget on my iPhone 13 always shows the power status of the watch.

Posted on Oct 10, 2023 02:23 PM

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Answer 1

Branta_uk

Level 7

32,706 points

Oct 10, 2023 03:47 PM in response to Living Fossil

The relevant settings for unlock with Apple Watch are in (Mac) System Settings > Touch ID & Passcode. Also make sure both devices are logged in on the same Apple ID, and have a good WiFi connection on the same LAN.

The power status widgets seem to be Working As Designed. They are showing the status of devices paired to each host device. Your Apple Watch is paired only to your iPhone, so that is the only widget which shows it.

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Answer 2

Living Fossil Author

Level 2

161 points

Oct 11, 2023 01:10 AM in response to Branta_uk

Thanks for the reply. I understand the second part, but the main thing about enabling the watch as described by you, I have already tried a number of times: I should have made this clear. On my set-up, despite the setting it simply doesn’t work. As I said, it seems that the iMac can see the watch, as it starts the unlocking process - but it never finishes. In earlier versions of the OS, this function usually worked. Mysterious.

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How can I ensure my Apple Watch unlocks my iMac?

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