Apple Watch not unlocking Mac (resolved)

After upgrading to Sequoia 15.0.1, my Apple Watch (Ultra in this case) stopped unlocking my Mac. This is what I did to resolve.


  1. On the Mac go into Settings->Touch ID & Password and turn off the setting that allows the watch to unlock the Mac.
  2. Quit Settings, then put the Mac to sleep (close the lid, etc.). A shutdown or reboot should also work (though not tested).
  3. Restart your Apple Watch and let it come up and connect to the net. You should be able to check the weather, for example. You'll need the full network stack up and running on the watch.
  4. Confirm that Bluetooth is turned on on your Apple Watch.
  5. Login to your Mac, go to Settings->Touch ID & Password and turn on the setting that allows the watch to unlock the Mac (i.e. reverse what you did in step 1).
  6. At this point you should be prompted for a password, then it will say, "syncing..." and will end with the slider showing that the setting is enabled.
  7. Test to see if it's fixed


This recipe did it for me.


Posted on Oct 23, 2024 12:53 PM

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Posted on Jan 13, 2025 3:14 PM

Tried a number of these steps but then did something else. If like me you have multiple WIFI networks then double check to be sure that both the Mac and Watch are on the same one. Seems simple enough, however sometimes my devices will automatically switch networks when restarting. I checked and the Mac was logged in to a different one. I changed it now to match the watch. Doing this fixed my problem.

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Apple Watch not unlocking Mac (resolved)

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