Apple to expand Apple Watch authentication on Mac

“Usernames and passwords have been used for authentication since the dawn of computing,” Guilherme Rambo reports for 9to5Mac. “Apple has introduced many ways to facilitate the usage of strong passwords for authentication by including biometric authentication like Face ID and Touch ID with its products. Now, Apple is working on expanding Apple Watch authentication beyond simply unlocking your Mac with macOS 10.15.”
“Users of modern Macs have the ability to unlock their machines just by wearing the Apple Watch which itself is secured by a passcode and aware of when it’s being worn,” Rambo reports. “Mac users without Touch ID can also authenticate Apple Pay on the Apple Watch with a double-click of the side button where available.”
“Starting with macOS 10.15, Apple is working on making Apple Watch authentication on the Mac go even further,” Rambo reports. “According to sources familiar with the development of macOS, the next major version of the operating system will allow users to authenticate other operations on the Mac beyond just unlocking the machine with their watch.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: So, currently, Macs with Touch ID (MacBook Pro and MacBook Air) can unlock the Mac, make iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store purchases, make purchases on websites using Apple Pay, make purchases in Safari with Apple Pay, control accessibility features on your Mac, and more, so expect Apple Watch to offer some or all of these plus possibly additional features in macSO 10.15.