macOS Big Sur and watchOS 7 are great updates with lots of neat features. However, they also bring their share of bugs and weird problems that can be annoying. One such issue I encountered recently was that the Apple Watch with watchOS 7 could not enable auto unlock with macOS Big Sur. I was getting “Unable to communicate with Apple Watch” and what errors. If you’re in the same boat, don’t worry. Here is how to fix Apple Watch not unlocking Mac with macOS Big Sur.
Fix Apple Watch Won’t Unlock Mac With macOS Big Sur
Many users are facing these issues and unfortunately Apple has not officially acknowledged this bug. This means we don’t have a one-size-fits-all solution that we can recommend here. However, we have a lot of things you can try. They worked for me, so I’m sure they will also fix the issue with your Apple Watch.
I’m including links to each of the methods below so you can quickly jump to the one you want to try. However, I will talk about these methods in increasing difficulty, so you may want to start over.
1. Check for Software Updates
The first thing to do for these types of issues is to make sure you’re running the latest software version on both your Mac and Apple Watch. Apple may not have publicly acknowledged the issue, but it’s likely to ship a patch soon. So, check for software updates and download the latest version available. Here’s how you can do it.
on your Mac
- Go to System Preferences and click on Software Update
- It will automatically check for updates and let you know if any updates are available. While you’re here, also enable ‘Automatically keep my Mac updated’ if you haven’t already.
On your Apple Watch
- go to settings on your watch
- Tap on General
- Tap on Software update
- Install any available updates.
You can also use your iPhone to check for watchOS updates.
- Hungry watch app on your iPhone and Tap on General.
- Tap Software Update to check for available updates for your Apple Watch.
Apple actually claimed that watchOS 7.1 fixed the Apple Watch not unlocking issue on Macs with macOS Big Sur. However, for many users, including me, this didn’t fix anything. That said, it’s safe to assume that the company will release an appropriate fix in a future update.
If you are using watchOS 7.1 and things are not working for you, follow the next possible solutions.
2. Reset Bluetooth and WiFi
A common error shown by Mac when trying to enable auto unlock with Apple Watch is “Your Mac was unable to communicate with your Apple Watch”. This error is completely useless and extremely annoying to see. However, resetting your wireless radios may help resolve the issue.
on your Mac
reset wifi
- Click the WiFi icon in the menu bar.
- Turn off your WiFi.
- Wait a few seconds and then turn WiFi back on.
Reset Bluetooth
-
- Open Control Center from the menu bar. Click the Bluetooth icon to disable it.
- Wait a few seconds and re-enable Bluetooth.
On your Apple Watch
- Swipe up on the watch face to open Control Center.
- Tap the Airplane Mode icon to turn off all radios on your watch.
- The icon will turn yellow. Wait a few seconds and then disable Airplane mode.
Now try to enable auto unlock with Apple Watch.
3. Disable Auto Login
You may not know this feature, but it does exist, and disabling it apparently helped fix the issue for some users.
- Open System Preferences on your Mac and click Users & Groups.
- Click on Login Options
- If Auto Login is enabled, turn it off.
4. Sign out of iCloud on Mac
macOS Big Sur has a lot of issues with things like Handoff and Sidecar. Most of these have been resolved by users by logging out of iCloud on their Mac. Apparently this also worked for a group of people who were facing the Apple Watch bug we’re dealing with today.
- go System Preferences and click on ‘your Apple ID‘
- Click Sign Out To sign out of your iCloud account on your Mac.
- Restart your Mac and then sign back into iCloud
By the way, this is the solution that finally worked for me and I hope it fixes the problem for you too. Because the rest of the methods either take too long or work too hard.
5. Reset Apple Watch
If none of the steps worked, you should try resetting your Apple Watch. This means you have to unpair your Apple Watch and then set it up again with your iPhone.
This is a time-consuming process, so be patient. Or if you prefer to see this as a last resort, you can try the next method before that. This is your call.
6. Set the Keychain
This is probably less extreme than resetting your Apple Watch, but it’s also extremely time consuming and you’ll have to play around with the Keychain a lot. That’s why I put this as the last method on this list. However, if nothing has worked for you, there is something else you can try.
Note: I haven’t tried this particular method. However, one thing has been mentioned. forum and many users claimed that this fixed the problem for them so I am adding this here as a last resort for you.
- on your Mac, Search for ‘Keychain Access’ In Spotlight or a Spotlight alternative app like Alfred.
- Click View in the menu bar and enable ‘Show Invisible Elements’.
- Type ‘ in the Keychain Access search barAuto Unlock‘. a lot (and I mean You are very nice) The number of items named ‘Auto Unlock’ will appear.
- Select and delete them all.
- Now, call ‘Auto Unlock(no spaces this time)
- You will see four items. Select them and delete them. If they reappear, don’t worry. Go on.
- Now open Finder. Use the keyboard shortcut command+shift+G to open ‘Go to Folder’ dialog. Set course to “~/Library/Sharing/Auto Unlock“. Don’t forget to add a tilde to the path.
- Here you will see two files. ‘ltk.plist’ and ‘pairing-records.plist’. Delete both of these files.
- Restart your Mac.
- Go back to System Preferences and enable auto unlock with Apple Watch. You will need to enable it twice. The first time is reported to fail, but the second time should work.
Fixed: Apple Watch Won’t Unlock Mac with macOS Big Sur
There are many different Apple Watch issues out in the wild, but this one is extremely annoying. Hopefully, these solutions have resolved the issue you were experiencing. Personally, I was able to fix the problem by signing out of iCloud on my Mac, which is great because I didn’t have to reset my clock or fiddle with Keychain. So, which step worked for you? Share your experience in the comments so other users can find the easiest way to fix their problems too.
