Straylock is a convenience, not a security guarantee. Here is where it falls short.
Force-quitting the iPhone app stops it
iOS leaves a force-quit app off until you open it again, so Straylock can no longer see your phone. Turning Bluetooth off on the iPhone counts as leaving too.
Signal strength is not distance
Walls, your body and the way the phone sits in a pocket can shift the signal by 10 to 20 dB. The defaults are starting guesses and the beta is how we tune them. You can adjust them in Settings.
A phone left on the desk keeps the Mac unlocked
Straylock locks when the phone leaves, not when you do. If you walk off and leave the phone behind, nothing locks.
The Mac needs one setting changed
Locking works only if System Settings, Lock Screen, "Require password after screen saver begins or display is turned off" is set to Immediately. The app checks and walks you through it.
It locks. Touch ID unlocks.
Straylock never unlocks your Mac, and no distance trick would be safe if it did.
Apple can change the rules
The way a Mac gets locked from an app can change in any macOS update. Straylock carries two lock methods and a test button, and ships outside the Mac App Store for this reason. It needs macOS 14 or later and iOS 17 or later.
Can I unlock by knocking?
Sadly no. Knock to Unlock did that, and we were fans. These days iOS puts background apps to sleep and there's no way for a third-party app to unlock a Mac, so Straylock sticks to locking it when you leave. You unlock with Touch ID.
How does it work?
The iPhone app sends out a Bluetooth signal. Your Mac checks how strong it is once a second and locks when it stays weak for about ten seconds. Everything happens on your devices.
Does it use my location?
No. It only uses Bluetooth and never asks for location permission. Straylock never sees where you are. Your Mac locks locally; we only keep your email and, later, your subscription.
Does the iPhone app have to stay open?
It runs in the background, so you can leave it alone. Just don't force-quit it: iOS stops a force-quit app until you open it again.
Will it lock while I sit at my desk?
We built it not to: readings are smoothed, there are two thresholds with a gap, and the signal has to stay weak for a while. Bluetooth is noisy though, and finding false locks is what the beta is for.
Do I need an account?
Not for the waitlist or the beta. Accounts and subscriptions come later, passwordless and tiny, and locking never depends on the network.
What will it cost?
Free to try, then about $15 a year. The Pricing link below has the detail.
What happens to my email?
We use it to tell you when beta spots and the launch open, and for nothing else. Reply to any email from us and we'll take you off the list. The privacy page has the rest.
Planned launch pricing. It can change before then, and the beta is free.
iPhone appIt only sends the signal. It unlocks nothing.
FreeMac app trialEverything included, no card needed.
14 daysYearlyper year. The one most people should pick.
$14.99Monthlyper month.
$2.49Lifetimeonce. About five years of the yearly plan.
$79
Waitlist members get a founding-member price: $9.99 a year, kept for as long as you stay subscribed. It is open to roughly the first 500 people.
Why a subscription? Every macOS and iOS release shifts how Bluetooth and locking behave. The subscription pays for keeping Straylock working through each one.
Private beta soon