Both firms working on bringing their phones in sync with PCs

May 20, 2016 10:11 GMT  ·  By

Apple and Microsoft are going head to head in their efforts to bring phones and PCs in sync to offer more consistency when switching from one device to another, and it appears that both companies are working on features that would bolster the security of their devices.

Basically, the whole idea is to allow their customers to unlock PCs with phones running their own operating system, so, for example, you’ll soon be able to get access to your Mac PC with an iPhone or a Windows 10 computer with a Windows 10 Mobile device.

Apple’s plans

According to new reports, Apple is working on a new feature that will make it possible to unlock a Mac with the iPhone’s Touch ID sensor.

Previous information coming from people with knowledge of the matter revealed that Apple was looking into ways to tighten Mac security, and there were voices that the company might add a Touch ID sensor to its computers for easy authentication.

But the plan appears to be different, with the company now working on a new feature that would allow the iPhone Touch ID sensor to be used for the same purpose. A Bluetooth connection would be required, so as long as you’re in the close proximity of the Mac and a connection between the PC and the iPhone exists, you should be able to log into the desktop by simply scanning your fingerprint.

This feature is expected to be part of Mac OS X 10.12, and a demo could be shown by Apple itself at the WWDC conference next month.

Microsoft’s plans

The first time we reported about Microsoft’s plans to unlock PCs with a mobile phone was in early March, when an application called Phone Sign-in was spotted in the Windows Store.

Just like in Apple’s case, Microsoft’s new method would be based on the same Bluetooth connection between PCs and smartphones, so as long as the phone is close to the computer, you should be able to authenticate just fine.

In Microsoft’s case, it’s possible that Windows 10 authentication could be made with Windows Hello from devices supporting it, but plans in this regard are believed to be still in the early stages.

This time, the new feature could land with the Anniversary Update in the summer, when Microsoft is introducing many new options, including extension support for Edge browser.