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Magic Keyboard with Touch ID - multiple MacBooks

Akrapovic

Akrapovic

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 29, 2018
1,233
2,645
Scotland
I've got a very specific setup so need to ask someone with multiple MacBooks about the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.

I currently have 2 M1 Pro MacBook Pros (one is mine, the other is my works). I have a Magic Keyboard (no Touch ID) and a Magic Trackpad. The MacBooks run in clamshell mode, which makes the Touch ID button unavailable. Whilst the Magic Keyboard and Trackpad do not support bluetoothing to multiple MacBooks at once, you can minimise the pain of switching between macs by having a lighting cable and just connecting the keyboard and trackpad for a second. Once you unplug it, it's bluetoothed to the new Mac. So at the end of the working day and I switch Macbooks, I just move the lightning cable to my personal MacBook for a second and the devices switch over. Not perfect, but easier than faffing about in the bluetooth menu.

I'm looking at buying the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, but not sure if this workflow works with keyboard that has Touch ID. Does anyone have any experience with this? Can you just connect the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID to a new Mac with a lightning cable for a second, and the Touch ID sensor continues to work? Or would it require recalibrating Touch ID each time?
 
It works the same way. No need to re-enroll Touch ID. It works with the saved fingerprint data from whichever Mac it is currently paired with.
 
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I use Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and magic track pad using cable to usb-hub with MacBook and Mac mini . works fine wired with connected device.

But wireless is different story.
 
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how about with iPad? whats the benefit of buying the Touch ID keyboard when using iPad with it?
 
Akrapovic said:
Cheers guys! Appreciate the feedback - I'll pick one up soon!
Click to expand...
So did it work as expected? Just wondering because I'm in the exact same situation: Two M1 MBPs (own + corporate device); different user accounts (that's i.e. using different Apple IDs to separate work for home); both running in clamshell mode (most of the time) ... and I would like to use a) only one external keyboard and b) with touch-id (for both Macs and both Apple-IDs) ... the "connect lightning for a sec" would do (still better than to fiddle around with bluetooth settings), as long as it works?!?
 
nmbr73 said:
So did it work as expected? Just wondering because I'm in the exact same situation: Two M1 MBPs (own + corporate device); different user accounts (that's i.e. using different Apple IDs to separate work for home); both running in clamshell mode (most of the time) ... and I would like to use a) only one external keyboard and b) with touch-id (for both Macs and both Apple-IDs) ... the "connect lightning for a sec" would do (still better than to fiddle around with bluetooth settings), as long as it works?!?
Click to expand...
Yup it works 100%. I have a Magic Trackpad and a Magic Keyboard with TouchID. The quick connection with the cable will pair the devices, and TouchID works fine.

The only limitation is about once a month it tells me to that it cannot pair a peripheral in clamshell mode until I've logged in - so i need to open the machine to do it. I haven't worked out what triggers this yet. I thought it may have been a macOS update, or maybe an actual reboot, but i haven't had a pattern yet. But yeah, other than the odd occasion, it works exactly like I hoped.
 
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Akrapovic said:
Yup it works 100%. I have a Magic Trackpad and a Magic Keyboard with TouchID. The quick connection with the cable will pair the devices, and TouchID works fine.

The only limitation is about once a month it tells me to that it cannot pair a peripheral in clamshell mode until I've logged in - so i need to open the machine to do it. I haven't worked out what triggers this yet. I thought it may have been a macOS update, or maybe an actual reboot, but i haven't had a pattern yet. But yeah, other than the odd occasion, it works exactly like I hoped.
Click to expand...

Brilliant! Helps me a lot with my decision ... Thanks for the prompt reply - much appreciated!
 
Anyone else having trouble getting touch ID to work after waking from sleep.

My MBP M1 is connected to an ASD in clamshell mode.

Anytime i wake from sleep Touch ID won't work unless toggle on/off switch on the keyboard several times. I've tried pairing again and again and everything is fine until the laptop goes to sleep.

Typing works fine but not Touch ID

I bought the keyboard specifically for touch id use and now i instantly regret it.
 
I don't have this issue. From what you've described this sounds like a bug rather than unintended behaviour. Tried the usual? unpair and re-pair. Cycle bluetooth on the mac, etc?
 
Tried unpair and repair. Haven't cycled BT though.

EDIT: Tried pairing and unpairing again (twice) and thankfully it worked. Hopefully it stays this way.
 
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Need a new keyboard. Would this one work with bluetooth turned off on the Mac?

I have two Macs and would like to use it wired on one Mac and paired via bluetooth on the other. Would that work and is it possible to easily switch between wired and wireless mode?
 
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