The final piece of the iPhone mirroring puzzle is now available with the release of iOS 18.1 and MacOS Sequoia 15.1. If you’re in the Apple ecosystem, iPhone mirroring itself is a practical wonder. If your iPhone is nearby but unavailable (perhaps in your bag or out of reach), use your Mac to connect to and control your iPhone.
However, there was one feature that wasn’t available at launch. Drag and drop between devices. You can now copy files and add them to an ongoing document, just as you would between two windows on your Mac desktop.
Besides the pure convenience of not having to pick up the phone, we’ve found several reasons to use iPhone mirroring in addition to drag and drop. In fact, now that iOS 18 and MacOS Sequoia have been released, I find myself using it regularly on my iPhone 16. Here are some situations where iPhone mirroring is useful.
read more: How to control your iPhone from your Mac using iPhone Mirroring
iOS 18.1 and MacOS Sequoia 15.1 are available now and offer many other features, including: animated text messages and ability Customize your iPhone home screen — Oh, and a little bit of hype technology known as. apple intelligence.
Look at this: iPhone mirroring now available on Macs running MacOS Sequoia
If your iPhone is in your bag, wallet, or another room
The simplest use case is when you want to access something on your phone, but it’s buried in your bag and out of reach, or you can’t stand up (or you can stand up But probably not the cat or dog snoozing on your lap (who doesn’t appreciate the mess). It’s even more convenient to connect via iPhone mirroring.
iPhone mirroring on MacOS Sequoia and iOS 18 lets you access your iPhone even when it’s in your bag or out of reach.
However, this feature doesn’t work over long distances, such as if you accidentally leave your iPhone at home and need to access it from work. iPhone mirroring works using Apple’s Continuity technology. That means your iPhone and Mac must be within Bluetooth range of each other.
Need to check in with the iPhone app?
Is your phone dead because you missed your daily Duolingo check-in? If that’s the case with your Mac, you can connect it with iPhone Mirroring to ensure your streak continues.
Or maybe you need to complete today’s Wordle challenge, but it’s all too obvious that you’re checking your phone while you work. The discreet iPhone mirroring window can be easily covered or hidden as needed.
Keep your Duolingo streak going even when your phone isn’t nearby.
If you want to use an app instead of a web interface
Even today, some popular services work much better in apps than in a web interface. Yes, I’m on Instagram. Posts from apps often include more options or provide a better user experience. iPhone Mirroring gives you almost complete access to your iPhone’s interface, allowing you to post using your mouse pointer instead of your finger.
Apps like Instagram have more features than web apps.
Want to quickly transfer items between devices?
I take a lot of screenshots for work and even more photos personally, all of which are stored in my photo library. These images are synced to my Mac via iCloud. But sometimes it happens at a pace that is precisely described as “when the phone approaches.” When I need something quickly on my Mac, I find myself using AirDrop between devices. This works, but it’s clumsier than I thought.
But now you can drag and drop all kinds of files, not just images, between your iPhone and a Mac running the iPhone Mirroring app. This applies in both directions as well. Transfer videos or important PDFs to your phone by dropping them from a Mac Finder window onto your mirrored iPhone.
You can drag and drop files from your Mac to your mirrored iPhone and vice versa.
Don’t want to clutter up your Mac with unnecessary software?
MacOS has a long tradition of supporting system extensions, startup items, and various background processes that you probably don’t notice running most of the time. For example, in some large application suites, these accessory files unfold like a dropped box of Lego. The resource drain is often negligible, but those parts still consume storage and processor power.
In contrast, iOS has always been built as a siled system, with each app having its own protected storage and tightly controlled routes for interacting with other apps. Especially for apps you don’t use often but need to keep around, you might want to install the mobile version to avoid the app creep that happens on MacOS.
iPhone Mirroring allows you to continue using such apps on your Mac without infecting MacOS with all the associated debris that would normally be installed.
Want to sign in to your bank app instead of your computer?
Unfortunately, some of these suggestions focus on the theme of “apps are better than websites,” and there’s often no better example than banking sites.
iPhone Mirroring makes it easier and more secure to access your bank accounts and investments by logging in with an iOS app instead of a web browser on your Mac. You’ll still have to authenticate when you open an iPhone app (because you can’t use Face ID or Touch ID on the device), but that could be a more convenient option.
Use secure apps that are only on your phone, such as the Bank of America app.
If you want to access locked and hidden apps on your phone
With iOS 18, you can hide sensitive apps or require authentication (such as Face ID) to open them. If you want to use them on your phone rather than through an app or web interface on your Mac, iPhone mirroring lets you access them even when your phone isn’t nearby.
In that case, as you might have guessed, the iPhone mirroring app requires authentication via your Mac. Enter your Mac login password and authenticate using Touch ID or a connected Apple Watch to open locked apps or view hidden folders on your phone.
Access hidden app folders via iPhone mirroring.
When you want to show the contents of your iPhone during a presentation
Admittedly, this is a small subset of use cases, but if you need to demonstrate something on your iPhone during an online or in-person presentation, iPhone mirroring is a much easier option than other methods.
Besides having an overhead camera, a common method was to connect an iPhone to a Mac with a cable and use QuickTime Player to view the phone’s screen. In that case, you still have to use your hands to operate the phone.
iPhone Mirroring lets you connect your phone wirelessly and control it using your Mac’s trackpad or mouse and keyboard.
The main limitation of this approach is that activating the phone will pause the mirrored connection if you need to do something on the phone.
And there’s one streaming limit I’d like to see changed
One unprecedented feature between Apple devices is the ability to stream media from your iPhone to your Mac using AirPlay. Don’t have time to relax and watch a movie or watch an episode of your favorite TV show? Launch it on your iPhone and choose your Mac for its larger screen.
iPhone mirroring lets you control your iPhone when it’s out of reach, so it’s useful to start a movie that plays on your Mac’s screen. However, digital rights management negates that idea in the context of iPhone mirroring. I can open apps like TV and watch programs, but the image remains black.
When I try to use Netflix via iPhone mirroring, I get a black screen.
This black screen also applies when streaming using AirPlay when iPhone mirroring is active. The only way this will work is if you have physical control of your phone to stream to your Mac.
iPhone mirroring is just one new feature on iPhone and Mac with iOS 18 and MacOS Sequoia. Don’t miss it How to spice up the text of your messages and learn how to navigate the updated Control Center.
