How to use iPhone mirroring on Mac

Earlier this year, Apple introduced iPhone Mirroring. This macOS Sequoia feature places a mirrored version of your iPhone directly on your Mac desktop, allowing you to interact with your iPhone without having to hold it in your hands. You can open iOS apps, send emails, change settings, and more, all from the comfort of your Mac.

Please note that when using iPhone Mirroring, you cannot access your iPhone’s camera and microphone, and opening any app that uses these features on your Mac will display a warning that the camera or microphone is unavailable. You can only use one Continuity feature at a time, so you can’t use iPhone Mirroring and Continuity Camera at the same time, for example.

If you’re wondering how to start using iPhone Mirroring or just want to learn some useful tricks for this great feature, you’ve come to the right place. Our comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about iPhone Mirroring, allowing you to use it like a pro in just a few minutes.

How to set up iPhone mirroring

Getting started with iPhone Mirroring is quite simple and only requires following a few on-screen commands on your Mac and iPhone.

Step 1: Choose iPhone mirroring icon in your Mac’s Dock, or open it using Launchpad or the Applications folder in the Finder. In the window that appears, select To continue.

Step 2: Then unlock your iPhone. When you return to your Mac, you’ll be asked to allow iPhone notifications to appear on your Mac. You can allow or disallow them. You can change this setting later by opening the System Settings app and going to Notifications > Allow iPhone notifications.

Step 3: Once you have made your selection regarding notifications on your iPhone, select Get started.

Step 4: Now enter your Mac passcode or use the Touch ID button to unlock iPhone Mirroring on macOS.

Step 5: Your Mac may ask you whether you want your password or Touch ID to be required every time you sign in to iPhone Mirroring, or whether you want your Mac device to be automatically authenticated if your Mac is already unlocked. You can change this setting later by going to iPhone mirroring in your Mac’s menu bar and select Settings.

Step 6: Your iPhone should now appear unlocked on your Mac desktop.

Step 7: Please note that if you pick up your physical iPhone and unlock it, a message will appear in the iPhone Mirroring app on your Mac informing you that the iPhone is in use and that iPhone Mirroring will be paused until you lock your phone again.

Step 8: If you have more than one iPhone signed in to your Apple account, you can choose which one will be reflected on your Mac. To do this, open the System Settings app on your Mac and go to Desktop computer and docking stationand then select your iPhone from the pop-up menu below Use iPhone widgets.

How to use iPhone apps on Mac with iPhone Mirroring

One of the main attractions of iPhone Mirroring is the ability to use iPhone apps on your Mac. Once you open and unlock iPhone Mirroring on your Mac, you can interact with all of your iPhone’s apps and settings just like you would if you were holding the actual device in your hand. Here’s how it’s done.

Step 1: After unlocking iPhone Mirroring, click the app icon on your iPhone home screen. You can swipe around the app by using trackpad gestures or using the mouse scroll wheel.

Step 2: For anything you want to interact with in iOS by tapping on it, you can do so by clicking on it in iPhone Mirroring. For example, a button on a website that would normally be pressed on iOS can be clicked on macOS. If you tap and hold it on iOS, you can click and hold it in iPhone Mirroring or just right-click if you’re using a mouse.

Step 3: The same principle applies to text fields and text applications. In any app that supports text input, you can start typing on your Mac keyboard. You can do this in Notes, Safari, third-party apps like WhatsApp and X (formerly Twitter), and more. Keyboard shortcuts also work – try copying and pasting text by pressing Command-C > Command-V.

Step 4: To return to your iPhone’s home screen, just click the black bar at the bottom of the screen (instead of clicking and dragging it up – this mimics the swipe gesture in iOS, but that’s not how iPhone Mirroring actually works). Alternatively, you can hover over the top of the iPhone Mirroring window and then tap the grid icon in the upper right corner (hover over it and it will say Home screen). You can also press Command-1 keyboard shortcut to do the same.

Step 5: There is a button next to the home button App switcher icon. Click this to bring up the iOS app switcher, or press Command-2. You can switch between applications using the trackpad or by clicking and dragging the application windows with your mouse.

Step 6: There are several ways to open Spotlight in iPhone Mirroring. You can click Search at the bottom of the home screen or press Command-3 on the keyboard. Another option is to swipe down with two fingers on the iOS home screen or scroll down using your mouse’s scroll wheel (in our tests, we found the latter method a bit complicated).

Step 7: When you use iPhone Mirroring, audio from your iPhone plays through your Mac speakers. If you want, you can adjust the volume using your Mac’s volume keys.

Step 8: If you’re watching a video in landscape orientation and you select the full-screen play button, the iPhone Mirroring app will automatically switch to landscape mode for the video. When you exit full screen mode, it will return to landscape orientation. This also works for landscape games and any other applications that require this orientation.

How to Transfer Files Between iPhone and Mac Using iPhone Mirroring

One of the best features of iPhone Mirroring is the ability to transfer files from your Mac to your iPhone and vice versa, all by simply dragging and dropping the file into place. This saves you the time and hassle of having to share the item in a different, more complicated way. You can drop an item directly into an application (such as the timeline of a video editing application) or into a data storage application such as Files.

Step 1: To transfer a file from Mac to iPhone, first open the app you want to send the item to in iPhone Mirroring. Then open the Finder folder containing the file on your Mac and simply drag the item from the Finder to the app in iPhone Mirroring. Before you release the file, a green plus (+) appears next to your mouse pointer, indicating that the item can be added to the open application.

Step 2: To transfer a file the other way around (from iPhone to Mac), simply do the opposite. Open the file location in the iPhone Mirroring app, then click and drag it from the iPhone Mirroring app to the desired location on your Mac. This can be directly on the desktop, in a Finder window, or in another application.

How to Move and Resize iPhone Mirroring Window

iPhone Mirroring doesn’t have to be a static thing – its size and position can be customized very easily.

Step 1: You can move the iPhone Mirroring app to your Mac desktop. Once iPhone Mirroring is connected, move your mouse pointer just above the iPhone Mirroring window and a bar will appear with the usual traffic light buttons to close or minimize iPhone Mirroring (you can’t set it to full screen). Click and drag anywhere on this bar to move the iPhone Mirroring window. When iPhone Mirroring is paused or disconnected, you can click anywhere in the app window (not just the top bar) to move it.

Step 2: It is also possible to resize the iPhone mirroring window, although the options are quite limited. Choose View option in the menu bar, then select one Greater Or Smaller (or press Order and plus key Or minus keyappropriately). However, there is only one “larger” size and one “smaller” option. To restore the app to its normal size, select Actual size With View menu or press Command-0.

How to Manage Notifications in iPhone Mirroring

Receiving iOS notifications on your Mac allows you to respond to new alerts without having to switch devices. Notifications from your iPhone will appear in the upper right corner of your Mac display (just like regular macOS notifications) and will be identified by an iPhone badge in the corner of the app icon to help identify them.

Step 1: Once iPhone Mirroring connects to your Mac, iOS notifications will start appearing in macOS. If your iPhone is nearby, you can click the iOS notification on your Mac and the corresponding app will open in iPhone Mirroring.

Step 2: After you set up iPhone Mirroring, you can still receive iOS notifications on your Mac even if you’re not currently using iPhone Mirroring.

Step 3: You can turn off iOS notifications in a few different ways. On your Mac, open the System Settings app and go to Notifications > Allow iPhone notificationsand then turn off the switch next to it Allow iPhone notifications. Alternatively, you can turn off notifications for individual apps in the list below. On your iPhone, open the Settings app and go to Notificationsand then select an application from the list. From here you can completely stop notifications for this app by turning off the option Allow notifications toggle (this will disable them on iPhone and Mac) or turn off the toggle next to it Show on Mac.

How to turn off iPhone mirroring

If you decide you want to turn off iPhone Mirroring, it’s a very quick process from start to finish.

Step 1: On your iPhone, open the Settings app and go to General > AirPlay & Continuity > iPhone Mirroring. Here you can see which Macs have been connected to your iPhone using iPhone Mirroring.

Step 2: To disconnect iPhone from your Mac, select Edit or swipe your Mac’s name from right to left, select the red delete button, and then select Delete.

Step 3: To turn iPhone Mirroring back on, simply open the iPhone Mirroring app and follow the instructions at the beginning of this guide.

Apple’s iPhone Mirroring app is a very handy way to share files between devices, use iOS apps when your iPhone isn’t right next to you, and more. It’s easy to use and surprisingly feature-rich considering its simple premise. Once you get the hang of it, you may find yourself using it very regularly.