How To Fix Auto Unlock On macOS 14.4 Sonoma To Work With Apple Watch

Peter Steven Ho
4 min readApr 18, 2024

If you’re having trouble getting Auto Unlock on macOS 14.4 Sonoma to work with your Apple Watch, here is a fix to a permissions problem in System Settings that prevents Auto Unlock from being enabled.

Photo by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash

Apple Watch unlock is a very convenient feature that allows you to unlock your Apple computer when it wakes. It also allows the wearer to approve requests to enter the administrator password without having to type the password. When prompted, the wearer double-clicks the side button of the Watch and that’s it — permission granted. This convenient feature also works for apps that utilise this feature, like 1Password.

The instructions on how to enable this feature are simple enough but in this instance, my new Sonoma (14.4.1) MacBook Pro refuses to recognise my series 5 Apple Watch.

If you’re experiencing the same issue, then here’s a solution that worked for me.

Analysis

If you successfully enabled this feature on an older version of macOS and upgraded to Sonoma (or Ventura), Apple Watch Unlock should continue to work because the permissions would have survived the OS upgrade.

However, if you’re enabling the Watch Unlock feature for the very first time on a new computer running Sonoma (and possibly…

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Peter Steven Ho
Peter Steven Ho

Written by Peter Steven Ho

BSc (Hons), LLB. Freelance writer in Technology, Science and Travel. Come join me on a journey of discovery.