Your M1 MacBook Pro is paired with your new Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. You’re clicking along at your desk, and try making a purchase with Apple Pay. When you put your finger on the Touch ID sensor of the keyboard, though, it doesn’t work. What gives? Well, we’ve learned that your MacBook lid needs to be open to use Apple Pay.
Uncovering the Problem with Apple Pay and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
If you ran into this problem already, you might have tried checking the Wallet & Apple Pay module in System Preferences. All you’d see there is a vague error message: “Apple Pay has been disabled because the security settings of this Mac were modified.”
That would probably lead to some concern, since, well, you didn’t make any changes. Several hours later, your antivirus and anti malware scans come up empty, and you’re left scratching your head in confusion.
Glenn Fleishman at Macworld discovered the cause of this problem for many. It’s something that Apple really needs to include in the page you’ll visit if you click the “Learn More” button in that earlier error message.
Your MacBook lid needs to be open to use Apple Pay.
A Requirement That Made Sense, Until It Didn’t
Before the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, this requirement makes perfect sense. With Intel Macs, it still does, since that keyboard requires a Mac with Apple Silicon.
Now, though, it’s a hidden gotcha that Apple needs to be more clear about. So, the next time you want to use Apple Pay with your M1-based MacBook and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, just make sure your laptop lid is open.