Apple releases macOS 10.12.2 with auto-unlock & GPU fixes, Touch Bar screenshot support

Apple on Tuesday issued an update for Sierra, the latest version of macOS, addressing a number of bugs and issues, including fixes for auto-unlock with Apple Watch, graphics processing issues on the latest MacBook Pro hardware, and taking screenshots of the Touch Bar on new models.

macOS 10.12.2 is now available to download from the Mac App Store. It's a free update for any Mac running macOS Sierra.

According to Apple, the update improves the stability, compatibility and performance of the operating system. Specific changes in the update are:

Improves setup and reliability of Auto Unlock
Allows addition of a Chinese Trackpad Handwriting button to the Touch Bar Control Strip
Adds support for taking screenshots of the Touch Bar using the Grab app or Cmd-Shift-6 shortcut
Fixes an issue that caused the Touch Bar emoji picker to appear on the display
Resolves graphics issues on MacBook Pro (October 2016) computers
Fixes an issue where System Integrity Protection was disabled on some MacBook Pro (October 2016) computers
Improves setup and opt-out experience for iCloud Desktop and Documents
Fixes an issue with the delivery of Optimized Storage alerts
Improves audio quality when using Siri and FaceTime with Bluetooth headphones
Improves the stability of Photos when creating and ordering books
Fixes an issue where incoming Mail messages did not appear when using a Microsoft Exchange account
Fixes an issue that prevented installation of Safari Extensions downloaded outside the Safari Extensions Gallery
Adds support for new installations of Windows 8 and Windows 7 using Boot Camp on supported Macs

A total of six pre-release betas of macOS 10.12.2 were issued to developers and public testers before Tuesday's launch. The most recent beta arrived less than a week ago, last Thursday.

The previous full macOS update, version 10.12.1, had been released to the public on Oct. 24.

22 Comments

Soli 9 Years · 9981 comments

About 8 years ago

Improves setup and reliability of Auto Unlock
I'd love for this to be faster, as well offer auto-lock when your Watch gets too far away from your Mac (e.g.: forgetting to lock your system when you leave your desk).

paxman 17 Years · 4729 comments

Soli said:

Improves setup and reliability of Auto Unlock
I'd love for this to be faster, as well offer auto-lock when your Watch gets too far away from your Mac (e.g.: forgetting to lock your system when you leave your desk).

It doesn't do that? That seems so obvious it must be something that will be corrected in the future.

thewhitefalcon 10 Years · 4444 comments

Apparently this removes the "time remaining on battery" feature from the OS.

macxpress 16 Years · 5913 comments

thewhitefalcon said:

Apparently this removes the "time remaining on battery" feature from the OS.

Yes it does...Apparently it was inaccurate in 10.12.1 which was resulting in the complaints about battery life. I assume this will be restored back once its functioning properly. The percentage is accurate according to Apple, but the time remaining was not. Maybe this was what people were referring to when complaining about the MacBook Pro 2016 having poor battery life?

paxman said:

Soli said:

Improves setup and reliability of Auto Unlock
I'd love for this to be faster, as well offer auto-lock when your Watch gets too far away from your Mac (e.g.: forgetting to lock your system when you leave your desk).

It doesn't do that? That seems so obvious it must be something that will be corrected in the future.

As far as I can tell, it doesn't. I still have to use my Hot Corner to initiate the screensaver which immediately locks the device, which is quick and simple, but it would be nice to have that feature just in case you forget. Also, I'd like an option for the iPhone and iPad to also require the passcode if your Watch gets too far from it in unsecured locations, like being stolen on a Subway. To me, these seem like obvious features that I was asking for even during the rumours of an Apple wearable. I hope some day they happen.