Unlock your Mac from iPhone over the internet

The situation this solves

You leave a Mac mini at the office with work already running. Later, a desktop action needs access to the screen, but the Mac has locked. MiniUnlock is designed to make that existing desktop available through a phone-authorized unlock, without navigating a full remote desktop interface.

This guide describes the controlled beta. A successful test on one setup does not establish compatibility with every Mac, OS version, account configuration, or network. Check release availability before attempting installation.

Prepare the Mac and iPhone once

1. Use the Mac and iPhone apps supplied through the controlled beta.
2. Connect the phone to the Mac using the pairing flow. Keep the saved connection.
3. Complete the permissions shown by the Mac companion, including Accessibility access for its lock-screen interaction.
4. Save your known Mac login password inside the iPhone app and complete phone authentication.
5. Keep the Mac awake, connected to the internet, and running the companion.

Do not put your computer password in a support message or an AI chat. Enter it only in the app’s credential setup flow.

Unlock while away from the office

1. Open MiniUnlock on your iPhone and check that the paired Mac is reachable.
2. Choose the Mac unlock action.
3. Complete Face ID or the phone authentication offered by your device.
4. Check the reported desktop result. A connected device or accepted request alone is not proof that the screen unlocked.
5. Return to your work tool and check its next pending step.

You do not need to re-pair for every request. A lost network connection must recover before a new remote action can reach the computer.

Same Wi-Fi is not required; an online Mac is

The owner-observed test used cellular LTE/5G on the iPhone. This supports the intended away-from-office use case. It does not mean the app can reach a powered-off computer, a disconnected network, or an unreachable companion.

Saved pairing and a continuously available Mac connection are different from keeping the iPhone app permanently active in the background. Check reachability when you make an unlock request.

Screen lock, FileVault and password recovery are different

The tested action unlocks the existing session of a user who is already logged into macOS. It does not recover a forgotten password, remove Activation Lock, perform a preboot FileVault unlock, or turn on a shut-down Mac. Those tasks need different recovery or remote-management mechanisms.

If the unlock fails, use the status shown by the app to check connection and permission issues. Avoid repeating requests while an earlier result is unresolved.

What was actually observed

In the October 3, 2026 beta validation, the owner reported returning to the original Codex desktop using the iPhone unlock action and phone authentication over LTE/5G, without additional Mac interaction. A separate cancellation test left the Mac locked; a new successfully authenticated request unlocked it.

These are owner-observed beta results, not an independent security audit or a guarantee of reliability across all devices. Public App Store and installer downloads remain unavailable.