How to unlock a Mac with the Apple Watch

It is one of the novelties that Apple presented in the last Keynote in which it showed its new operating systems: iOS 10, watchos 3, macOS Sierra and tvOS 10. Being able to unlock our Mac computer, be it an iMac, MacBook or Mac mini, using The Apple Watch is somewhat possible through third-party applications, but from macOS Sierra and watchOS 3 it will be possible natively, without having to use any other program. The configuration is very simple and the operation even more so. We show you how to unlock a Mac using the Apple Watch in the following video.

Configure Two Factor Authentication

It is the first step to be able to use this function, if not it will be impossible to activate the option in the settings of your Mac. We have detailed the procedure in this article and it will only take you five minutes.

Activate the option in System Preferences

Specifically within the Security menu, you must check the option "Allow the Apple Watch to unlock the Mac". Once this is done, everything is configured to work, without having to touch anything else on your watch or on your computer. Lock your Mac to do the test and unlock it, you will see that a label appears just below your name that indicates that the Mac is being unlocked and a second later you will be on your computer's desktop without having to touch anything.

It is not a groundbreaking novelty, of course, even more so when there were already applications that did more or less the same, but it is true that it is very convenient to lift the lid of your MacBook and directly start using it without having to enter your password, and that if someone else does, they find that they have to type the password or they will not be able to access. One more point in favor of macOS Sierra and watchOS 3.