Bluetooth Screen Lock 4+

Out of all of the options for Bluetooth locking apps, this is the best one, but that's not saying much.

This app does work after going through hoops of manually pairing my iphone with the computer's bluetooth. This is not ideal, as technically you're not supposed to need to pair your iphone with your mac. In addition, when the normal "in range" indicator is used as the reviewer "wsdr" specifies, my computer, running Catalina, never locks.

As such, this app is now a poor fit for my Mac and will be uninstalled - refund requested.

I’m fairly happy about this - I haven’t had any issues, and it works. I, too, wonder where the “Screensaver” option in the preferences shown in the screenshots are, but that’s fairly minor.

The only other minor quibble that I have is that I don’t quite trust it as yet. It’s not completely clear how closely it tracks my iPhone 5; it’s kind of hard to test it out given that you can’t see the signal strength while you’re testing. I haven’t had it not lock, but it’s like getting to the point where you trust the refrigerator light is always out when you close the door - until the mechanism is clear, you wonder. Also, the signal strength display appears to update rapidly (good) but I wonder whether there’s any load on the phone battery from the Bluetooth activity.

These are minor, however, and it’s a great value - so I do recommend it.

I had the same issue of this seemingly not working with my iPhone on my first try. Immediately after installing the app, I paired my iPhone 4S, but the app never "saw" it. I tried fiddling with the settings, etc., to no avail. I was about to write a "ditto" review, but decided to give it another try. I Quit the App and reopened it, then went to the preferences again — it immediately indicated it saw my phone. So I took my phone and walked away and my computer beeped (system alert) at me. It seems to work as advertised.

Two caveats:

1) iPhones MUST use the "In range" option, because they don't actually pair with your Mac (and don't need to be paired for this to work). Pairing is for devices that can support the signal strength mode (iPhones do not).

2) If you leave your iPhone in the other room, turn your iPhone off, or turn off Bluetooth, this will lock your screen every 30 seconds or so — so you have to quit the app if you don't have your phone nearby. {annoying} They should make it so that if you awaken the computer without detecting your phone, it won't reactivate until it sees your phone again.