If biometric authentication didn’t exist, we would be unlocking our devices a classic: with an unlock code. But Touch ID and Face ID have made our lives more comfortable, allowing us to use our fingerprint or even our face to access our terminals.
And now that we have so many devices on us, it is possible combine their functions so that they unlock. And at times, it is very useful. We will see all the cases where this is possible.
Unlock a Mac with an Apple Watch
You can use an Apple Watch to unlock a Mac, even if it has Touch ID. For this you need:
- A Mac with macOS 10.12 Sierra or later installed
- Have the same Apple ID on your Mac and iPhone, with no pending password requests
- Two-factor authentication enabled
If you meet these requirements, simply go to System Settings (System Preferences in earlier versions of macOS) on your Mac and locate the “Touch ID & Password” or “Login Password” option depending on whether your Mac has Touch ID or not. :
You should find your Apple Watch listed there, along with the option to enable unlocking your Mac with it. Remember that to do this properly, the Apple Watch must be passcode protected and unlocked on your wrist.
Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch
It’s one of the very few benefits the pandemic has given us: Apple has pioneered a way to unlock iPhones with Apple Watch while wearing a mask while researching ways to fine-tune Face ID, and we can activate from Settings:
So when you’re wearing a mask (or a scarf now that the cold has arrived), the iPhone can resort to the Apple Watch if it doesn’t recognize your face well. Please note that Face ID must be enabled for this option to work.
Unlock an Apple Watch with an iPhone
This might be the option you’ll use the least, but it’s worth mentioning: you can unlock an Apple Watch through the iPhone. For those with mobility issues, it can provide a lot of comfort.
To activate it, you must enter the iPhone Watch application, section ‘Code’ and there you will find the option ‘Unlock with iPhone’:
There are combinations that are currently not possible, such as unlocking a Mac with an iPhone or any interaction with an iPad. The main idea here is not to gain comfort, but to facilitate unlocking in more complicated times such as when we wear masks or when we cannot move our wrist well if we want to unlock the Apple Watch. But it is always good to know all these possibilities.
Picture | Brina Blum
