Apple has managed to make iPhone the centerpiece of your digital life, bringing together a host of functions such as communications, email, and social media management in the same device.
For his part, a apple watch It’s a much more personal product than when used with an iPhone, it can make you much more productive and stay up to date with everything, so you don’t miss any notifications on a daily basis.
In fact, Apple relies on proximity and a host of other features to allow a Watch, iPhone, and Mac to unlock without additional authentication if you’re using any of the 3 devices at the same time.
Unlock your iPhone with Face ID using an Apple Watch
In iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4, Apple added a feature to help fix the issue of masks obscuring faces for correct Face ID recognition. In ‘Settings > Face ID & Passcode’, you can enable ‘Unlock with Apple Watch’.
This only works with iPhones that have Face ID and as long as Face ID is enabled. For use your watch to unlock your iPhoneyou must have set a passcode for your watch and enabled wrist detection (your watch must be on your wrist and unlocked).
You can still use the Watch app passcode settings to add a passcode and enable wrist detection. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity must also be enabled on both devices.
Another consideration is that the Apple Watch and iPhone should be within a distance of no more than 10 meters, the standard values established for Bluetooth connectivity, although the range may vary depending on factors.
In fact, for this to work, your iPhone must first fail the Face ID unlock process, either because you’re wearing a mask or something is preventing your iOS-identified facial features from being recognized.
Then, and only then, your iPhone will be unlocked through the authentication authorized by your watch. When it works, you will get some haptic vibrations on your watch and a short message will appear on your iPhone screen.
A lock button also momentarily appears on your watch, which you can press if you accidentally unlock your iPhone. If you tap “Lock,” you’ll need to use your passcode to unlock your iPhone the next time you want to.
As you’ll see, although there are a lot of requirements to be aware of, I’ve seen this work consistently even when Face ID with a mask is also enabled in “Settings > Face ID & Passcode on my iPhone” and Face ID doesn’t work for me. recognize immediately.
Unlock your Apple Watch from an iPhone
In reverse, it is also possible to use the iPhone to unlock your Apple Watch. In the Watch app, go to “Passcode” and enable the “Unlock with iPhone” option.
If you’re just wearing your watch on your wrist or if it’s locked for some other reason, unlocking your iPhone near your watch will also unlock your watch. Your iPhone will briefly display a message with a lock button that you can press to cancel the operation.
This feature appeared very early with the Apple Watch, so early that Apple did not document its first availability. Currently, you can use it with any paired watch and iPhone.
Unlock a Mac from an Apple Watch
In 2016, Apple updated macOS to allow a Mac laptop to be unlocked by the presence of an Apple Watch nearby. It works with any watch model and most Mac models with versions of macOS released since late 2016.
Your Apple Watch and Mac must be signed in with the same Apple ID, and two-factor authentication must be enabled on your Apple ID account.
To set it up, go to ‘System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General’ and make sure ‘Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac’ is checked.
Enter your management password. macOS then communicates with your watch, which must be unlocked and worn on your wrist to fully activate the feature.
With the arrival of macOS 13 is comingyou may be prompted to enable the unlock feature, as you did after enabling it on another Mac where the computer was still running macOS 12 Monterey.
To enable it, go to “System Settings > Touch ID & Passcodes” and enable the feature on Apple Watch.
The next time your Mac is locked, simply being nearby while wearing your watch will unlock macOS. Please note that it only works for unlocking, not logging in.
You will need to enter your Mac account password after restarting your Mac, starting it from when you shut it down, or entering sleep or hibernation mode.
This feature also allows you to use your watch instead of having to enter a passcode or use Touch ID on devices. Macs equipped with the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. The watch will use a haptic reaction to get your attention, then ask you to double-click the side button to approve.
As a security measure, be aware that Apple does not allow you to unlock your Mac if you have it in split-screen mode.
Apple advises you to check if this feature will be supported by your Mac by holding down the “Option” key and choosing “System Information” with Wi-Fi enabled.
Original article published on igamesnews.com.