Works great and makes me look like a super spy at work.

I had seen previously-written negative reviews on this app, but saw that the most recent reviewers were quite happy, so I gave it a try and I’m really glad I did. Near Lock uses low-energy Bluetooth to automatically lock and unlock your Mac based on proximity to your iPhone.

Keep in mind it’s not an actual OS lock, so any operations that were running in the background continue to do so when Near Lock has “locked” your screen. I’m very happy about this—it means I don’t have to reauthenticate 1Password every time I go to the bathroom or step away from my desk for 30 seconds. I used the free version for about a day before paying for the in-app purchase. The free version requires your iPhone to be unlocked and have the Near Lock app running in the foreground. It’s basically only good for making sure that Near Lock will work - I did that a dozen or so times, and when I was satisfied with the results I paid for the pro version.

I have had two small issues. Today, my Macbook stopped locking. I contacted the developer and received a response within the hour. I needed to go into advanced settings and clear my Bluetooth cache, which required a system restart. After that it worked fine. The other issue is that if I’m sitting in a plush chair or couch with my iPhone in my pocket and my Macbook on my lap, the app will randomly lock and unlock the Macbook as the bluetooth signal strength is used to determine when the system locks. It’s annoying, but there’s really nothing the developer can do about this. If I take my phone out of my pocket I don’t get the issue.

All in all, this is a great app, and totally worth the $4 I paid to avoid locking/unlocking my computer 20-30 times a day at work.

@davidgalloway about Near Lock