with macOS Sequoia and iOS 18Apple has a handy new way to switch between devices while on the desktop. iPhone Mirroring displays your phone’s screen on your computer; you can even use a mouse and keyboard to interact with it. Here’s how to set up and get the most out of iPhone Mirroring.
Requirements
First, iPhone Mirroring has several conditions. Only works with Apple Silicon Mac (Late 2020 and beyond) or Intel-based models With Apple T2 Security Chip (2018-2020). Of course, you need to install macOS Sequoia first to use this feature. Any iPhone Works with iOS 18 will do.
This feature only works when the iPhone is locked (charging or Use standby mode). If you unlock your iPhone while using iPhone Mirroring, the feature will temporarily disconnect.
Both devices must have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, and you must sign in with your device Apple Account in each one. You need an account two-factor authentication (using a valid device or phone number) activated. The feature will not work on your phone Personal hotspot is enabled or you are using AirPlay, Sidecar or internet sharing on your Mac.
How to set up iPhone Mirroring
Open the iPhone Mirroring app on your Mac. It should already be in the Dock (see screenshot above), but you can also find it in the Applications folder.
The program starts with a welcome screen. Click Continue, then follow the prompts to unlock your iPhone.
Next, confirm iPhone notifications on Mac. This feature displays your phone’s notifications in your Mac’s Notification Center. (When you click an iOS notification on a Mac, it will open the corresponding app in iPhone Mirroring.) iPhone notifications on a Mac work even when iPhone Mirroring is closed or disabled, or when your phone isn’t nearby.
After confirming the notifications, the last screen will confirm that iPhone Mirroring is ready. Click “Start” to begin. After downloading, you will see the iPhone screen.
Using iPhone Mirroring
First, you may want to resize the iPhone Mirroring app. Apple only gives you three options: actual size, smaller, and larger. You can change them using keyboard shortcuts: bigger (Cmd +), actual size (Cmd 0) and smaller (Cmd -). You can also resize the window in your Mac’s menu bar under the View section. Dragging the edges of the window to resize it (as in other macOS applications) will not work here.
In most cases, interacting with a virtual iPhone on a Mac is as simple as imitating its normal touch gestures with the trackpad and typing in text fields using the Mac’s keyboard.
The swipe-based gestures for Home, App Switcher, and Control Center won’t work on Mac, but there are shortcuts for them. If you move your pointer over the top of the iPhone Mirroring window, a new area will appear, revealing buttons for the iOS Home Screen (left) and App Switcher (right). (See screenshot above.) This area also allows you to click, hold, and drag to reposition the app.
You can also switch to the Home Screen by clicking the horizontal bar at the bottom of the application window or using the keyboard shortcut Cmd 1. Additionally, Cmd 2 activates the App switcher and Cmd 3 activates the Spotlight search. Or swipe down with two fingers on your Mac’s trackpad from the iPhone Home Screen (in the Mac app) for Spotlight.
There is no way to enable iOS Control Center from Mac. You also can’t manually change the orientation of the virtual iPhone screen, but if you launch a game that starts by default in landscape mode, it will automatically rotate:
iPhone audio will play on your Mac when you use the feature. Some iPhone videos will also play in the iPhone Mirroring window. However, copyrighted content will be restricted in some cases, so some videos will only be viewable through the appropriate macOS applications or desktop browser windows.
Apple’s Universal Buffer It can be useful when using iPhone Mirroring. Copy something on your virtual iPhone and you can paste it on your Mac and vice versa. You can also use AirDrop to transfer files between two devices while using iPhone Mirroring.
If you don’t use the virtual phone for a while, iPhone Mirroring will time out. Even if you move your phone away from your computer. If it’s timed out, follow the app’s instructions to reconnect.
iPhone Mirroring access settings
You can choose whether to require authentication every time you use iPhone Mirroring. Select in the Mac app iPhone Mirroring > Settings in the menu bar (or type Cmd space) and you’ll see a barebones settings screen.
You can choose “Ask every time” or “Verify automatically”. First, it requires your Mac login password, Touch ID, or Apple Watch authentication to use the virtual iPhone on your desktop. At the same time, the latter will automatically access your phone without authentication each time.
You can also reset iPhone access in this settings screen. This erases the entire setup, and the next time you open iPhone Mirroring, you’ll have to start the process from scratch.
If you have more than one iPhone connected to your Apple Account, you can choose which one to use with iPhone Mirroring Settings > Desktop & Dock on the Mac. If this applies to you, you’ll see an option under “Use iPhone widgets”. (If you only have one iPhone in your Apple Account, this option won’t appear.)
For more information on Apple’s latest models, you can check out Engadget iPhone 16 reviews and 16 Pro series phonestogether with the latest MacBooks.
