With macOS Sequoia and iOS 18, Apple has a useful new approach to hop between units whereas on desktop. iPhone Mirroring reveals your telephone’s display in your laptop; you may even use your mouse and keyboard to work together with it. Right here’s tips on how to arrange and get essentially the most out of iPhone Mirroring.
Necessities
First, iPhone Mirroring has a number of circumstances. It solely works with Apple Silicon Macs (late 2020 and later) or Intel-based fashions with the Apple T2 Safety Chip (2018 to 2020). In fact, you’ll want to put in macOS Sequoia first to make use of the function. Any iPhone operating iOS 18 will do.
The function solely works when your iPhone is locked (it’s okay if it’s charging or utilizing Standby). For those who unlock your iPhone whereas utilizing iPhone Mirroring, the function will quickly disconnect.
Each units additionally want Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, and also you’ll must signal together with your Apple Account on every. Your account wants two-factor authentication (utilizing a trusted gadget or telephone quantity) activated. The function received’t work in case your telephone’s Private Hotspot is energetic otherwise you’re utilizing AirPlay, Sidecar or web sharing in your Mac.
The right way to arrange iPhone Mirroring
Open the iPhone Mirroring app in your Mac. It ought to already be in your Dock (see the screenshot above), however you can even discover it in your Functions folder.
The app begins with a welcome display. Faucet “Continue,” then comply with the immediate to unlock your iPhone.
Subsequent, approve iPhone notifications in your Mac. This function reveals your handset’s alerts in your Mac’s Notification Middle. (Once you click on an iOS alert in your Mac, it’ll open the corresponding app within the iPhone Mirroring app.) iPhone notifications in your Mac work even when the iPhone Mirroring app is closed or inactive, or in case your telephone isn’t close by.
After approving notifications, a remaining display will affirm that iPhone Mirroring is prepared. Click on the “Get Started” button to begin. As soon as it masses, you’ll see your iPhone’s display.
Utilizing iPhone Mirroring
First, you could wish to resize the iPhone Mirroring app. Apple solely offers you three choices: precise measurement, smaller and bigger. You possibly can change them utilizing keyboard shortcuts: bigger (Cmd +), precise measurement (Cmd 0) and smaller (Cmd -). You can too resize the window in your Mac’s menu bar below the View part. Dragging the sides of the window to resize it (like with different macOS apps) received’t work right here.
Normally, interacting together with your digital iPhone in your Mac is so simple as mimicking its ordinary contact gestures together with your trackpad and typing in textual content fields utilizing your Mac’s keyboard.
Swipe-based gestures for Residence, App Switcher and Management Middle received’t work on Mac, however they’ve shortcuts. For those who transfer your pointer to the highest of the iPhone Mirroring window, a brand new space will seem, revealing buttons for the iOS Residence Display screen (left) and the App Switcher (proper). (See the screenshot above.) This space additionally allows you to click-hold and drag the app to reposition it.
You can too go to the Residence Display screen by clicking on the horizontal bar on the backside of the app’s window or utilizing the Cmd 1 keyboard shortcut. As well as, Cmd 2 prompts the App Switcher, and Cmd 3 triggers a Highlight search. Or, swipe down with two fingers in your Mac’s trackpad from the iPhone Residence Display screen (within the Mac app) for Highlight.
There’s no approach to activate the iOS Management Middle out of your Mac. You can also’t manually change the orientation of the digital iPhone display, however it’ll rotate routinely when you launch a recreation that begins by default in panorama mode:
iPhone audio will play in your Mac whereas utilizing the function. Some iPhone movies will play within the iPhone Mirroring window, too. Nevertheless, copyrighted content material shall be restricted in some instances, so some movies will solely be viewable by means of corresponding macOS apps or desktop browser home windows.
Apple’s Common Clipboard might be helpful whereas utilizing iPhone Mirroring. Copy one thing in your digital iPhone, and you’ll paste it in your Mac, and vice versa. You can too use AirDrop to switch information between the 2 units whereas utilizing iPhone Mirroring.
iPhone Mirroring will day trip when you don’t use the digital telephone for some time. Ditto for when you transfer your handset away out of your laptop. If it instances out, simply comply with the app’s immediate to reconnect.
iPhone Mirroring login settings
You possibly can select whether or not to require authentication each time you utilize iPhone Mirroring. Within the Mac app, select iPhone Mirroring > Settings within the menu bar (or kind Cmd house), and also you’ll see a barebones settings display.
You possibly can select “Ask Every Time” or “Authenticate Automatically.” The previous requires your Mac login password, Contact ID or Apple Watch affirmation to make use of your digital iPhone in your desktop. In the meantime, the latter will log into your telephone routinely with out authenticating every time.
You can too reset iPhone entry on this settings display. This removes your whole setup, and also you’ll want to begin the method from scratch the subsequent time you open the iPhone Mirroring app.
You probably have multiple iPhone tied to your Apple Account, you may select which one to make use of with iPhone Mirroring below Settings > Desktop & Dock in your Mac. If this is applicable to you, you’ll see the choice below the “Use iPhone widgets” part. (For those who solely have one iPhone below your Apple Account, this feature received’t seem.)
For extra info on Apple’s newest fashions, you may take a look at Engadget’s opinions of the iPhone 16 and 16 Professional sequence telephones, together with the most recent MacBooks.