How to unlock your Mac just by walking up to it

There’s no shortage of apps that make the process for unlocking your Mac easier. There’s Knock, which requires you to physically knock on your iOS device to unlock your Mac. Then there’s KeyTouch, an app that uses Touch ID on your iOS device to unlock your Mac.

Both apps work, but they still require you to interact on some level with another device. Neither is ideal, and nowhere near as simple as Google’s Smart Lock feature on Chromebooks.

Then I found Tether, thanks to a post on The Next Web. Tether is a combination of a free OS X and iOS app that leverages Bluetooth 4.0 technology to monitor just how close you are, or should I say iOS device is, to your Mac. When your device is within range (about 30 feet by my count), the app unlocks your Mac.

When you walk away, your Mac is locked back up barring any unauthorized access.

Getting it all set up is simple; download the Mac app from Tether’s site. Followed by the iOS app from the App Store. Next, follow the instructions to connect your two devices.

A few taps on your iOS device and a couple of clicks on your Mac later, you’re all set up to walk away with peace of mind. Or at least the reassuring feeling of eliminating a redundant (granted, necessary) task in your life has just been eliminated. The team behind the app claims that updates and more features are on the way. I, for one, would love to see the ability to control the range of when an action is taken. Somewhere along the line of 10 feet would be more than enough.