Rumor: Apple Watch could gain additional authentication role with macOS 10.15

Your nifty Apple Watch could be used to perform authentication tasks on your Mac come macOS 10.15.

A current rumor has it that the next-gen operating system will expand the usage of the wearable to both authenticate users for tasks beyond unlocking the Mac without a password.

Since the introduction of macOS Sierra, the Apple Watch had the ability to unlock a Mac when it is work by the user and positioned nearby to the device. As a worn piece of biometric security, it was able to be used as a security token and to automatically unlock the Mac, saving users from authenticating manually each time. 

As of now, the Apple Watch can authenticate Apple Pay transactions on a Mac, and can be used in lieu of Touch ID authentication on some MacBook notebooks.

It’s thought that for macOS 10.15, the Apple Watch could perform an even wider array of tasks. While the sources behind this story didn’t identify what these new tasks might be, it’s said that the device could cover practically any instance where Touch ID would be an acceptable authentication measure. 

Due to the potential for some transactions to not be secure enough to automatically be authorized by the existence of an Apple Watch, it is plausible a new user interface element will be introduced to watchOS to authorize transactions from the Apple Watch display. 

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via AppleInsider and 9to5Mac