iPhone TouchID fingerprint sensor could be used to unlock Macs with new version of OS X

The feature could also let people use Apple Pay on the desktop

2012Apple CEO Tim Cook describes new models of the iMac desktop computers during an Apple event in San Jose, California October 23, 2012 (REUTERS/Robert Galbraith)

People will very soon be able to unlock their computer just by sitting near it.

Upcoming versions of Mac OS X will be able to tell when a person’s phone is near the computer and then use its TouchID fingerprint sensor to unlock it, according to MacRumors.

That update could be announced in June, at Apple’s WWDC. It’s likely to be a part of the new version of Mac OS X, called 10.12, which will be made available to the public in the autumn.

The technology would also allow people to use Apple Pay on the desktop, according to the same report. That will allow people to pay for things on the internet just by tapping their finger on their phone, according to the same report.

Both technologies will rely on BlueTooth LE, which allows devices to connect to each other wirelessly without using very much battery.

That’s already used on the Apple Watch, which can be unlocked just by opening up the phone rather than keying in a passcode on the Watch itself. The new Mac OS features would presumably work in much the same way, with the phone connecting to the computer and then unlocking it.

The new version of Mac OS – which is rumoured to be having its name changed to macOS – is set to be unveiled alongside iOS 10 and other software at June’s WWDC. It is rumoured to bring the Siri voice assistant to the Mac alongside other features.