Easy methods to mirror your iPhone on macOS Sequoia

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With macOS Sequoia and iOS 18, Apple has a helpful new technique to hop between units whereas on desktop. iPhone Mirroring reveals your telephone’s display screen in your laptop; you may even use your mouse and keyboard to work together with it. Right here’s the best way to arrange and get essentially the most out of iPhone Mirroring.

First, iPhone Mirroring has a number of situations. It solely works with Apple Silicon Macs (late 2020 and later) or Intel-based fashions with the Apple T2 Safety Chip (2018 to 2020). After all, 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). When you 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 should signal together with your Apple Account on every. Your account wants two-factor authentication (utilizing a trusted machine or telephone quantity) activated. The function received’t work in case your telephone’s Private Hotspot is lively otherwise you’re utilizing AirPlay, Sidecar or web sharing in your Mac.

Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget

Open the iPhone Mirroring app in your Mac. It ought to already be in your Dock (see the screenshot above), however you may as well discover it in your Purposes folder.

The app begins with a welcome display screen. 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 Heart. (Once you click on an iOS alert in your Mac, it’s going to 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 screen will verify 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 screen.

First, you might wish to resize the iPhone Mirroring app. Apple solely offers you three choices: precise dimension, smaller and bigger. You may change them utilizing keyboard shortcuts: bigger (Cmd +), precise dimension (Cmd 0) and smaller (Cmd -). You may also resize the window in your Mac’s menu bar below the View part. Dragging the perimeters of the window to resize it (like with different macOS apps) received’t work right here.

Generally, 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.

macOS screenshot of the iPhone Mirroring app (showing Spotify, playing a John Lee Hooker album) overlaying a webpage in Chrome on Mac. A red arrow points at two buttons (Home and App Switcher) at the top of the virtual iPhone window.

Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget

Swipe-based gestures for Residence, App Switcher and Management Heart received’t work on Mac, however they’ve shortcuts. When you 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 helps you to click-hold and drag the app to reposition it.

You may also 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 technique to activate the iOS Management Heart out of your Mac. You can also’t manually change the orientation of the digital iPhone display screen, however it’s going to rotate mechanically for those who launch a recreation that begins by default in panorama mode:

The game Bloons 5 in landscape mode, running in the iPhone Mirroring app on macOS Sequoia.

Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget

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 can be restricted in some circumstances, so some movies will solely be viewable via corresponding macOS apps or desktop browser home windows.

Apple’s Common Clipboard will be helpful whereas utilizing iPhone Mirroring. Copy one thing in your digital iPhone, and you may paste it in your Mac, and vice versa. You may also use AirDrop to switch information between the 2 units whereas utilizing iPhone Mirroring.

iPhone Mirroring will outing for those who don’t use the digital telephone for some time. Ditto for for those who transfer your handset away out of your laptop. If it occasions out, simply comply with the app’s immediate to reconnect.

macOS screenshot showing the settings window for the iPhone Mirroring app.

Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget

You may select whether or not to require authentication each time you employ iPhone Mirroring. Within the Mac app, select iPhone Mirroring > Settings within the menu bar (or sort Cmd house), and also you’ll see a barebones settings display screen.

You may 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 mechanically with out authenticating every time.

You may also reset iPhone entry on this settings display screen. This removes your complete setup, and also you’ll want to begin the method from scratch the subsequent time you open the iPhone Mirroring app.

In case you 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. (When you solely have one iPhone below your Apple Account, this feature received’t seem.)

For extra data on Apple’s newest fashions, you may try Engadget’s evaluations of the iPhone 16 and 16 Professional collection telephones, together with the newest MacBooks.

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