If you live within the Apple ecosystem, there are a lot of applications that let you open your Mac with your iPhone. Alternately, things are not so pretty if you side by Google’s mobile operating system. Luckily, some developers are working hard to make sure that your Mac plays well with your Android gadget. Unlocking your Mac with your Android device’s fingerprint scanner includes an additional layer of security to your Mac and surpasses the hassle of typing any password. So, today I’ll walk you through DroidID, a free application that lets you unlock your Mac with your Android’s fingerprint scanner.
[ad type=”banner”]Pre-requisites
- An Android device running 0 Marshmallow or above. On Samsung devices, it works on Android 5.0 Lollipop or above.
- macOSEl Capitan 10.11 or above. We tested in on our MacBook Air running macOS Sierra.
- DroidID utilizes Bluetooth to pair your Mac with your Android, so Bluetooth must be enabled at all times on both the devices. As it utilizes Bluetooth low-energy (BLE), the battery drain is minimal.
How to Setup DroidID on macOS and Android
- The first step is to download DroidID for Mac (download) and DroidID for Android (download). Open DroidID on your Android device and you should be greeted with a screen containing a code.
- Open DroidID for Mac and enter the code from the Android app here. Just below it, enter the password which you use to login to your Mac and click on “Connect”. This password is stored securely in the keychain and you can verify the same by going into Keychain access.
- You should see a “DroidID is ready” message on your Mac. Click on “Close“.
- You should see a “DroidID is ready” message on your Mac. Click on “Close“.
Simultaneously, on Android, it’ll ask you to authenticate your fingerprint, which is already registered with your device.
You have now successfully configured DroidID and it is ready to use.
Using DroidID
Once you have set up DroidID, utilizing it is truly simple. Whenever you Mac goes to sleep automatically, or the screensaver begins, simply open DroidID on Android and scan your fingerprint. The Mac ought to give you in automatically without typing in a password. I emphasized the word “sleep automatically” because DroidID does not work when you manually lock your Mac by pressing on your account name from the menu bar and clicking on “Login window…“.
Additionally, while not necessary, it’s a smart idea to configure DroidID to start automatically every time your Mac restarts. To do so, go to “System Preferences” by clicking on the Apple logo from the menu bar.
Click on “User and groups“.
Navigate to the “Login items” and click on the “+” icon.
Locate where you the DroidID.zip was downloaded and click on “Add”.
Now it’ll start automatically every time your Mac restarts, thus eliminating the need to start it explicitly every time. DroidID works like a charm, as long as you are within the Bluetooth range.
Unlock Mac Automatically Through Android Device
DroidID does just one thing and does it pretty well — it pairs your MacBook with your Android over Bluetooth and unlocks it automatically using your Android’s fingerprint scanner. This is the closest you can get to the new MacBook Pro’s touch bar with TouchID functionality on your older Macs.