Why is Unlox not called MacID anymore?

After 3 years of MacID 1 on the App Store, when it came to release MacID 2, Apple's App Review team decided that they have an issue with the name "MacID" because it has the word "Mac" in it.

Unlox is MacID, I'm just not allowed to call it MacID.

Your help in spreading the word of Unlox, the new name for MacID, is greatly appreciated. Unlox and MacID are made by one person and the income from the apps help pay my rent. Thanks!

Is Unlox a free update for MacID users?

Unlox is not a free app but if you have previously bought MacID you may be able to get Unlox at a discounted rate. The discount applied is controlled completely by Apple, and it depends on how much you paid for MacID, and whether your originally got MacID as part of another bundle or not.

To upgrade at a discounted price, you must purchase through this bundle on the iOS App Store. If you purchase Unlox outside of the bundle you will get charged full price regardless of how much you paid for MacID.

Learn more on the Unlox blog.

Does my device work with Unlox?

Unlox works great with any device running iOS 11.2 or newer, and macOS High Sierra or newer, and also requires Bluetooth LE. If your device has Bluetooth LE but doesn't fully support Handoff, you might find that Unlox doesn't work.

Please check before purchasing.

Where can I download Unlox for macOS?

Unlox for macOS can be downloaded directly from unlox.it/get

Please never download Unlox from anywhere other than the official site or the iOS App Store.

How do I set up Unlox?

Setup is easy! Follow these steps and you'll be up and running in no time at all:

• Install Unlox for iOS and launch it.
  
  
• Accept the permission prompt to allow Unlox to use Bluetooth.
  
  
• Install Unlox for macOS and launch it.
  
  
• When prompted, ensure you give Unlox for macOS permissions to use accessibility in System Settings > Privacy > Accessibility.
  This is a required step, Unlox will not be able to enter your password otherwise.
  
  
• Make sure Unlox for iOS is running in the foreground. Then in the Unlox for macOS setup window, select your device when it appears.
  If it doesn't appear, check the troubleshooting steps below.
  
  
• If you receive any Bluetooth pairing prompts from the system, you must accept them otherwise setup will fail!
  
  
• The final step of setup is to tell Unlox what your macOS system password is, so that it can enter it for you on the Mac Lock Screen. Your password is encrypted and stored in the Keychain on your Mac.
  Unlox for iOS never gets to see your password! Unlox never connects to the internet without your consent, and will only ever connect to the internet to check for updates or send crash reports.
  
  

Why isn't my device showing in the setup window?

There could be numerous reasons, following these steps usually fixes most issues.

Firstly, check the following:

• Make sure both your iOS device and Mac support Bluetooth LE and Handoff.
  
  
• Make sure Bluetooth is turned on, on both your iOS device and Mac.
  
  
• Make sure you have the latest versions of Unlox for iOS, and Unlox for macOS. Some versions are incompatible with each other, so always make sure you're on the latest versions.
  
  
• Make sure that Unlox for iOS is running in the foreground (so you can see the app). Unlox for iOS saves battery by only advertising itself while in the foreground.
  
  

Once you've checked the above, if your device still isn't showing:

• Try restarting both your Mac and your iOS device. Sometimes Bluetooth can get "stuck" and this fixes most issues. Remember to launch Unlox for iOS again so it's in the foreground while setting up after restarting your iOS device.
  
  
• If your device still isn't showing, try resetting Bluetooth on your Mac by selecting the Unlox menu > Advanced > Reset Bluetooth (required Mac restart)
  
  
• If your device still isn't showing, try deleting Unlox for iOS, restarting your iOS device, and then re-installing Unlox for iOS. Remember to launch Unlox or iOS again so it's in the foreground while setting up.
  
  

During setup I get an alert saying "Lost connection to [device name]"

If the connection drops for any reason during the setup process Unlox will cancel the setup process and you'll have to start again. Usually this is fixed by restarting your Mac and iOS device.

Why does my iOS device sometimes show up twice (or more) in the setup window?

Sometimes your Mac incorrectly reports your device to Unlox multiple times, with different identifiers, so there's no way for Unlox to know it's the same device.

This is easily fixed, usually by restarting your Mac. If that still doesn't fix it, you can reset Bluetooth by selecting the Unlox menu > Advanced > Reset Bluetooth (required Mac restart).

There's usually no harm in selecting the first one that shows in the list.

I've deleted and re-installed Unlox for iOS after adding it to my Mac and now it won't connect.

When you add an iOS device to your Mac, your Mac and iOS device exchange data that they use to reconnect later. If you delete the iOS app, that data will be lost, so Unlox for macOS cannot reconnect unless you set up again.

Select the Unlox menu > [iOS Device Name] > Forget..., and then select "Add iOS device..." to re-add your device so they can exchange the data they need to reconnect.

Can I downgrade to an older version of Unlox?

It depends when Unlox last updated the underlying database it uses. If you try to downgrade to a version of Unlox that uses an older version of the underlying database, Unlox will have to delete the entire database, so you'll have to set up again.

Will Unlox connect to the internet?

Unlox will never connect to the internet without your consent.

If you enable automatic update checking/installing, Unlox will make a call to unlox.it to check if there is a new version. There are no analytics in any of the apps so your data is completely private, although anonymous crash reports are sent to Fabric if you have that option enabled.

Unlox does generate logs while you use the app, but those logs are only ever stored locally to your device and never sent to a server. The only way I can see those logs is if you explicitly send them to me yourself.

Why does the unlock button sometimes say "(in-app)"?

For security, Unlox always expects you to have to authenticate before unlocking your Mac. If your device is unlocked, notifications don't require your authentication, so Unlox wants you to authenticate in the app instead.

Unfortunately, there's no official way for 3rd party apps to know if an iOS device is locked, so Unlox tries to guess based on some APIs that are available.

Unlox tries to read some protected data on disk. If it can read it then your device is unlocked, if it can't then your device is locked.

This isn't 100% accurate because it takes a few seconds after locking your iOS device for the data to become protected, so there's brief period after locking your device that Unlox can't tell you've locked it.

This is made more obvious on iPhone X because you just have to look at your phone for it to become unlocked, but still be on the Lock Screen. If you get a notification after unlocking your phone, even if you're still on the Lock Screen, Unlox will think your device is unlocked, and make you scan your face in-app instead.

Why does Unlox need to know my macOS password?

Just like MacID 1, Unlox will need to know your macOS password to be able to log you in.

Your password is never, ever broadcast anywhere. Not even Unlox for iOS knows what your password is.

Unlox first encrypts your password and then stores it in the keychain.

Can I add more than one iOS device to each Mac?

Yes! You can add as many iOS devices as you like, but I recommend adding two to keep the connection as stable as possible.

Adding an iPhone and iPad is a really nice combination, and since you can set different AutoLock and AutoWake settings per device, your Mac will still lock when each device moves away, no matter which one your pick up.

Why is Tap to Unlock greyed out?

Tap to Unlock requires an iOS device to be added and set up before it can be used.