There aren’t a lot of apps I use regularly on my Apple Watch. The ones that I do use regularly consist of utilities that make my life easier, or apps that help me track things, like water intake or how many tasks I have left for the day. One of my favorite utilizes is MacID, which offers even faster access way to my Mac with my Apple Watch, or my iPhone.
Is it a huge deal to type in a password to log in to my Mac desktop? No. But getting a tap on my wrist the minute I wake it up is not only convenient, but awesome. I just tap unlock and I’m done. I can also remotely lock my Mac as long as I’m within range, which I’ve found useful a few times when I step away from a table at a cafe for a second — or when someone else needs to use my computer (And I don’t feel like getting off the couch, ha). The second they wake it up, I get a gentle tap requesting to unlock it.
All you need are two things, the MacID app for iOS, and it’s free counterpart for each Mac you want to unlock. I have two Macs and it works great with both.
How to unlock your Mac with an iPhone or Apple Watch
- Download and install MacID on each of your Macs (the link is listed above).
- Once you have it installed and have opened it, launch MacID on your iPhone or iPad and follow the instructions (you’ll have to enter the passwords to all your Macs for the initial setup – you only have to do this once, unless of course you change your Mac’s password, then you’ll need re-enter it).
- To unlock your Mac with an iPhone or Apple Watch, simply wake up your Mac and your Apple Watch or iPhone should instantly ask you to issue the unlock.
- To lock your Mac remotely, just launch the MacID app from your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch and choose the Mac and option you’d like. You can even wake it up and unlock it remotely (as long as it isn’t fully asleep or closed if you’re using a Mac laptop).
Aside from being able to lock, unlock, and wake your Mac remotely, MacID also lets you play music from your iTunes library right from your Apple Watch or iPhone. I don’t use this feature very often but I’m sure there are lots of people out there that would. You can also ping clipboard contents from one device to another using MacID. While I use Copied for clipboard management, if your needs are basic, MacID should suit you just fine.
MacID also supports URL schemes so you can use it in conjunction with apps like Launch Center Pro to create quick actions. For example, you can run an action in Launch Center Pro to instantly wake your Mac, or unlock it.
I’ve tried a couple different options for unlocking my Mac with an iPhone or Apple Watch and I’ve found MacID to be the most versatile and reliable. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.
And if you use something different, let me know what and why in the comments!
I snagged this app last week when it dropped to 99 cents and I absolutely love it. My job requires me to be up and down all day and each time I have to lock my Mac to prevent someone from seeing sensitive info about other clients. I set the app up to unlock/lock based on my proximity to my to my
Sorry, the comment got cut off… Anyway, the proximity feature is glorious! I have know about MacID for a while but this alone makes it worth ten times the cost!
I’ve used MacID for a month or two now and while I do love it, it has some (unfortunately frequent) frustrations:
1. Delayed Watch notifications…such that I actually sit there staring at my watch waiting.
2. Often forgets about one of my two Macs. No idea why, maybe related to BT switching?
3. Proximity wake/lock are pretty unreliable. I set it to lock at minimum distance and then walked to the other side of our office and nothing. I then continued to work and it said the signal was fluctuating, then locked.
Anyway, great idea and hope for stability updates 🙂
I have been trying to use this app for awhile. There are so many updates for it, I find it only works intermittently.I really do
like it when it works. Do you know how to keep it more current?
I had a lot of issues with MacID, so I gave up pretty on it pretty quickly. I just tried Near Lock (Pro mode is currently free, btw) and setup was a breeze. Also really love that auto unlock feature.