Apple Releases macOS Sierra 10.12.1 with Improved Apple Watch Unlock, More

Apple released macOS Sierra 10.12.1 Monday (in addition to iOS 10.1). The first new feature that jumped out at me was “Improves reliability of Auto Unlock with Apple Watch,” a feature I love but is inconsistent. It also includes auto smart album of photos that use the newly unlocked Portrait Camera feature on iPhone 7 Plus, and some bug fixes.

Apple has a KnowledgeBase article for macOS Sierra 10.12.1 that includes more detailed patch notes than the ones listed in the Mac App Store (see below).

The update is a 584MB download—your mileage will vary depending on your Mac.

macOS Sierra Update 10.12.1

The macOS Sierra 10.12.1 update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, and is recommended for all users.

This update:

• Adds an automatic smart album in Photos for Depth Effect images taken on iPhone 7 Plus.


• Improves the compatibility of Microsoft Office when using iCloud Desktop and Documents.


• Fixes an issue that may prevent Mail from updating when using a Microsoft Exchange account.


• Fixes an issue that caused text to sometimes paste incorrectly when using Universal Clipboard.


• Improves reliability of Auto Unlock with Apple Watch.


• Improves security and stability in Safari.


• Fixes an issue that may cause Mail to display unnecessary password prompts for AOL accounts.


• Improves compatibility with Fujitsu’s ScanSnap scanning software.


• Addresses a “Filter Failed” error when printing to some Canon printers.


• Fixes an issue that may prevent Grapher files from opening.


• Brings back the Safari option to “never use font sizes smaller than” for displaying fonts on webpages.

Enterprise content:

• Improves reliability of System Image Utility and imagetool when creating network disk images.

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