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SamX
June 8, 2025
Question

Unlock 1Password with Apple Watch still failing, 3 years later

  • June 8, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 229 views

Subject line says it all. I'm on a recent Mac, latest version of MacOS and 1Password. Recent iPhone, Apple Watch Series 10, all the latest OS's of everything.

And years later, still no resolution on why 1Password gets amnesia about the state of Apple Watch unlocking. It works until it doesn't, and then you have to go into MacOS settings > Login Password > and toggle the "use Apple Watch to unlock your applications and your Mac." This is not a solution. This is a workaround, and it's tedious.

In other forum threads (search for "can't unlock with Apple Watch"), the "solution" has been,  a "bug has been filed with the developers." This is not a solution, nor is it a workaround. The oldest thread on this is three years old. Does 1Password know what's happening with this or not?

Frustrated.

 

3 replies

1P_Dave
1P_Dave
1Password Employee
June 9, 2025

Hello @SamX! 👋

I'm sorry that your Apple Watch doesn't consistently unlock 1Password. Our developers have received other reports and have narrowed the behavior down to issues with Apple's Apple Watch APIs. Our team has mitigated the issues as much as possible with changes to how we use those APIs and we've filed feedback with Apple regarding the remaining issues that we found so that fixes can be found for those as well.

I'd like you to test to see if the issue that you're still experiencing is the same issue as the one that I'm referring to by seeing if the same problem occurs when you try to use your Apple Watch with an Apple system prompt. The next time that you're unable to unlock 1Password using your Apple Watch, please perform the following test:

  1. Click on the  in the menu bar.
  2. Click System Settings.
  3. Click Privacy & Security.
  4. Click Advanced.
  5. As a temporary troubleshooting step, turn on "Log out automatically after inactivity".
  6. You'll now see a macOS system prompt asking you to confirm the action. You should receive a double-tap notification on your Apple Watch.


Let me know the results. 🙂

-Dave

#27438

S
SamXAuthor
June 13, 2025

Hi Dave,

Appreciate the quick response. When I tried this yesterday, of course, I couldn't reproduce the problem at all, which is to say that 1Password successfully kept showing the Apple Watch unlock prompt. Today, I was finally able to test. Results are below.

Scenario:

  1. Apple Watch unlocked my Mac.
  2. Opened 1Password, was given a password prompt, no Apple Watch unlock.
  3. I followed the procedure you provided.
  4. I received a user/password login prompt.

 

Some additional observations:

The other day, when 1Password was consistently and reliably showing me the "unlock with Apple Watch" prompt, I tried the test for "log out automatically after inactivity." I observed that I was constantly prompted on my Apple Watch to confirm my setting.

Now here's the curious thing. Just now, after seeing 1Password "forget" about my Apple Watch, and after I performed the test you prescribed, I tried the following:

  1. re-lock my Mac.
  2. unlock my Mac (shake the mouse, wait a sec, and it unlocked via Apple Watch)
  3. Check 1Password: it's locked, no Apple Watch unlock prompt/icon/etc.
  4. Redo the test (I already had System Settings open to Privacy & Security > Advanced).
  5. I toggled "log out automatically after inactivity" and then I received double-tap notification on my Apple Watch.
  6. So then I switched back to 1Password (which was hidden behind some other windows) and then the Apple Watch unlock appeared on the 1P Lock Screen.

 

The ability for 1P to remember the Apple Watch connectivity, while still in the same login session, is new. 

Previously, when 1Password "forgot" about Apple Watch unlock, I would try locking/unlocking my Mac again to see if would cause 1P to "remember" that the Apple Watch is present. This never worked. The only options at that point would be to reboot, or go to Settings > Login Password and toggle the "unlock my Mac with Apple Watch" option, which would require me to re-enter my password. 

 

1P_Dave
1P_Dave
1Password Employee
June 16, 2025

@SamX 

Thank you for performing that test and for those details! The next time that you notice that 1Password isn't offering Apple Watch unlock can you note the time and then I'd like to ask you to create a diagnostics report from your Mac:

Send a diagnostics report (Mac)

Attach the diagnostics to an email message addressed to support@1password.com

With your email please include:

  • A link to this thread: https://www.1password.community/discussions/1password/unlock-1password-with-apple-watch-still-failing-3-years-later/157469/replies/157793
  • Your forum username: SamX


You should receive an automated reply from our BitBot assistant with a Support ID number.  Please post that number here.  Thanks very much!

-Dave

S
SamXAuthor
June 20, 2025

@1P_Dave hello, I was able to send in the diagnostic report.

The Support ID number is EDJ-12627-459.

The issue happened today at 1:44 PM ET.

Curiously, after I ran the report, I locked 1P and was able to see the Apple Watch logo appear again on 1P's Lock Screen. This seems different to me. I've tried locking/unlocking 1P and my Mac before, and have not been able to get the lock icon appear without having to take further steps (such as disabling/re-enabling Apple Watch unlock in MacOS settings).

 

1P_Dave
1P_Dave
1Password Employee
June 20, 2025

​ @SamX 

Thank you for sending in the diagnostics report, I can confirm that the team has received it and one of my colleagues will send you a reply via email as soon as possible. 

Since we have a communications channel open via email, I'll close this thread.

-Dave

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