Back to browse

Auto lock your Mac via phone proximity (No Apple Watch)

by dabbygabby·Apr 25, 2026·4 points·5 comments

AI Analysis

MidSolve My Problem

Proximity lock without Apple Watch, but Near Lock and Unlox already do this.

Strengths
  • Solves genuine clamshell mode Touch ID pain point
  • Uses native Bluetooth LE, no battery-draining phone app required
Weaknesses
  • Unsigned DMG triggers Gatekeeper warnings, friction for users
  • Near Lock, Unlox, and MacID already solve this with App Store distribution
Category
Target Audience

Mac users with clamshell setups

Similar To

Near Lock · Unlox · MacID

Post Description

Hi HN,

I built Blunlock to solve the "clamshell mode" problem. Since I use my MacBook with the lid closed, Touch ID is useless. I wanted a way to lock/unlock via proximity without a $300 Apple Watch or a battery-draining phone app.

How it works: It pings your phone’s native Bluetooth LE signal and measures RSSI to determine proximity. Walk away -> Mac locks. Walk back -> it wakes up.

The Tech: Built with Electron. It is currently an unsigned .dmg, so Gatekeeper will flag it (Right-click -> Open to bypass). I'm doing a free beta to test reliability before I buy the $99 Apple Cert.

You can find the site and get early access at: blunlock.com

I’d love feedback on handling BT MAC randomization or optimizing scanning!So I built Blunlock.

It relies entirely on the Mac pinging your phone's native Bluetooth LE signal.

How it works: You pair your phone via Bluetooth. The app runs in the background and measures the RSSI (signal strength) to determine proximity. Walk away, the signal drops, the Mac locks. Walk back, it wakes up.

The Tech & The Catch: I built this using Electron to get it out the door quickly. Before I drop the $99 on an Apple Developer Cert to properly sign it and handle the Mac App Store sandbox restrictions, I want to make sure the proximity logic actually holds up across different environments (M-series vs Intel, different BT interference levels). Because it's currently an unsigned .dmg, Gatekeeper will flag it.

I'm doing a closed beta right now for free to anyone willing to right-click -> "Open" and help me test the Bluetooth reliability before I do a real launch. If you want to help me break it, you can grab the beta from the website.

Would love any feedback on handling BT MAC address randomization or optimizing the background scanning!

Similar Projects