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Apple Alerting Customers to Upcoming Discontinuation of Back to My Mac in macOS Mojave

OldSchoolMacGuy said:
All any other software solution needs to automatically configure things is UPnP which has been around for years and supported by nearly every router out there.
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No, that's not all. You also need to know your homes IP address, i.e. setup (dynamic) DNS.
Also, UPNP is disabled by default in every decent router since it's a potential security issue, as bad apps can take advantage of it as well. UPNP was a good idea that fired back too often...
(On the other hand IPv6 will put us in a similar position than an IPv4 router with UPNP enabled, unless it restricts inbound traffic by firewall.)
 
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oneMadRssn said:
TeamViewer's feature that lets you view the screen of a remote iOS device is not free, and actually quite expensive. That is the main feature I want!!
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I don't know all TeamViewer can do but there is TeamViewer Quicksupport which is free.
You can view (which is what your post mentions) but not control an iOS device from another iOS device or a Mac or PC.
This is what I use.
Instructions here:
From Teamviewer: How can I share the screen on my iPad/iPhone with TeamViewer?
From Apple
From iMore: With TeamViewer 13, sharing your iPhone screen is easier than ever!
 
celsoportela said:
You can still you Screen Sharing App located in System > Library > Core Services > Applications > Screen Sharing. You can use an Apple ID to login or a Hostname!.
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I've been reading about this and all the replies here, but I'm still confused. If I have two Macs, for instance an iMac and a MacBook, and I open the Screen Sharing app on the MacBook and enter my own Apple ID, how do I connect to my iMac? Does it connect automatically?
 
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It was a totally unreliable feature. It could never be counted on. It would work for a bit, then when you were out somewhere and actually needed it, it would just mysteriously give up, requiring you to go home and reboot routers, Macs, log out of iCloud, whatever mysterious voodoo dances you could come up with to maybe get it going again.
 
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And Apple takes away yet another item that distinguishes them from the competition, they need to keep in mind that there are PCs and now that many Chromebooks can run Linux AND Android apps, they are becoming real competition too.

Yes, there are other options, such as Team Viewer, etc., but they aren't built-in with Apple's ease of use.
 
kepardue said:
Geezum, I didn't even realize Apple made a Remote Desktop app. And at $80 bucks, I can see why. I occasionally have the need to log into my home computer from work and vice versa, I'm guessing Screen Sharing will work sufficiently for this. But it's a bit vague on how to use this. I can open up the Screen Sharing app and type in my Apple ID in the Connect To: box, but I always get "{AppleID} is not available for screen sharing." Any pointers on how to get this to work reliably?
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Public IP address or DDNS. You can get a free one from noip.com (you have to manually renew it every 3 months or pay). Run the noip daemon on the computer you want to connect to.

Receiving Mac will need to have remote login turned on in Sharing of System Prefs.

Your router will need certain ports opened and routed to the local IP of the receiving Mac so a DHCP reservation is also necessary. I think only port 5900 UDP and potentially TCP so just open both.

It’s a bit complicated but those are the steps needed to make absolutely sure it works. Most routers will handle all of this (all be it a bit fiddly and unintuitive!) and some will allow you to log into your noip account and update the DDNS record automatically, meaning you don’t need to run the daemon on the receiving Mac.
 
insomniac86 said:
You don’t need additional CAL’s of device or user when a Win 10 Pro machine RDP’s to another Win 10 Pro machine. Only when using RDS on a Windows Server will you need CALs. People RDP from desktop to desktop all the time. Server has nothing to do with it.
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I don't think you know what ARD does. ARD functions, like remote control and viewing, cannot be done on Windows Client. You have to use Windows Server to do those ARD-like functions. And pay for it.
 
/System/Library/CoreServices/Applications/Screen Sharing.app will still be there I presume.....?
 
Slix said:
I've been reading about this and all the replies here, but I'm still confused. If I have two Macs, for instance an iMac and a MacBook, and I open the Screen Sharing app on the MacBook and enter my own Apple ID, how do I connect to my iMac? Does it connect automatically?
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this
 
MacRumors said:



Apple today began sending out notifications to customers letting them know that support for Back to My Mac is ending in macOS Mojave.

Back to My Mac was not present in the first developer beta of macOS Mojave and it has not been available in any subsequent beta, but many customers may have missed the news of its imminent sunsetting, which has now been confirmed by Apple.

backtomymacending.png

Back to My Mac is a feature that is designed to allow Mac owners to connect to one Mac from another Mac for file transfers and screen sharing purposes. It lets users set up a network of Mac computers with two or more Macs, but it can be complicated to set up and use, which may be why Apple has decided to discontinue it in favor of simpler measures.

Apple is directing customers to a support document that outlines the changes coming to Back to My Mac, instructing them on how to transition to iCloud Drive, screen sharing, and Apple Remote Desktop.Apple's support document suggests customers can access all of their files across devices with iCloud Drive, operate other Macs with screen sharing, and manage Macs remotely with Apple Remote Desktop, software available from the Mac App Store for $80.

Many Back to My Mac users are likely to be unhappy with Apple's suggestion to transition to Apple Remote Desktop for remote management given its high price and the fact that it sees few updates, but there are other options like TeamViewer and LogMeIn.

Article Link: Apple Alerting Customers to Upcoming Discontinuation of Back to My Mac in macOS Mojave
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A trillion dollar company eliminating features from their OS? Apple — if you can’t get it to work right, hire some damn developers and put them on this. I agree it was unreliable, but that means you make it better. You sell “Pro” machines, and this caters to pro users.

If you just want people to pay the $80 for your outdated Remote Desktop by removing features from your OS, that’s just pathetic. You’re richer than God, quit nickel and diming everyone especially for features that used to be included.

Go ahead, I dare someone to reply to me and try to refute these points.
 
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autrefois said:
A trillion dollar company eliminating features from their OS? Apple — if you can’t get it to work right, hire some damn developers and put them on this. I agree it was unreliable, but that means you make it better. You sell “Pro” machines, and this caters to pro users.

If you just want people to pay the $80 for your outdated Remote Desktop by removing features from your OS, that’s just pathetic. You’re richer than God, quit nickel and diming everyone especially for features that used to be included.

Go ahead, I dare someone to reply to me and try to refute these points.
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Challenge accepted. Zero need to buy $80 ARD app. Screen Sharing app is still built into MacOS. ARD is $80 because it’s got a ton of features designed to manage multiple Mac systems in an enterprise or school for example. For simple Remote Desktop, the screen sharing app works fine, it’s just less convenient than back to my Mac was. And by less convenient, I mean that you have to properly setup your router to accept the proper incoming ports and forward them to your home system etc. This is something you have to do with both $80 ARD and built screen sharing app.... and any Windows situation as well for that matter.
 
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I only tried to use this on a couple of business trips. Didn't work either time. I could get it working from my MBP to my Mac Mini in my apartment, but not when I was traveling. I mainly want to use it so I could access my financial software. Since Dropbox backs up to my computer, and since it has selective sharing, I just make sure certain folders are stored there. I can't store my Quickbooks or Quicken data file on Dropbox, but everything else, I can.
 
bdkennedy1 said:
Back to My Mac = Free. Apple Remote Desktop = $79.99. Thanks Apple.
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Why are people freaking out about ARD? You don’t need it. It’s for institutions that want to manage large numbers of Macs. The free screen sharing in MacOS is all you need...so long as you’ve figured out the IP and firewall issues. I have a VPN router at my office. I just make a VPN connection from home and can share my office server screens. Easy. There are many free screen sharing apps as well. Frankly Apple shouldn’t even mention ARD as a quasi-replacement for Back to My Mac.
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autrefois said:
A trillion dollar company eliminating features from their OS? Apple — if you can’t get it to work right, hire some damn developers and put them on this. I agree it was unreliable, but that means you make it better. You sell “Pro” machines, and this caters to pro users.

If you just want people to pay the $80 for your outdated Remote Desktop by removing features from your OS, that’s just pathetic. You’re richer than God, quit nickel and diming everyone especially for features that used to be included.

Go ahead, I dare someone to reply to me and try to refute these points.
Click to expand...

Do you even know what ARD is for? Because if you did, you wouldn’t be getting so ridiculously bothered over a piece of software you don’t need anyway.
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johnrlaporta said:
In the name of all that is good and right...please separate desktop files and documents files into two options!! I don't want my desktop stuff to sync!
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I agree!!!
 
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maybe I am not getting this right, but my workflow requires copying terra bytes data between Macs, of which one of them functions as a server. And no, iCloud is not a solution for me, I'm talking 10s of terabytes here. Guess I'll have to go back to using external disks for that... <G>
 
Huubster said:
maybe I am not getting this right, but my workflow requires copying terra bytes data between Macs, of which one of them functions as a server. And no, iCloud is not a solution for me, I'm talking 10s of terabytes here. Guess I'll have to go back to using external disks for that... <G>
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Why? Were you copying 10s of terabytes via Back to My Mac???
 
Just this morning I was troubleshooting BTMM (it would work to my AirPort Express but not to the machine behind the AirPort Express). Correct me if I'm wrong, but Apple's recommended solutions don't fulfill the same use-case as BTMM:

  • Screen Sharing - Requires you to accept an incoming request on the remote machine. That doesn't work unless I'm in two places at the same time.
  • iCloud file syncing - "the cloud" is just another name for storing your personal data on a stranger's computer--a stranger who insists you sign an agreement indemnifying them if their service gets hacked. No thanks.
  • Apple Remote Desktop - From the lack of updates, it sounds like this is on the chopping block too. Not too many happy $80-the-poorer users.
When it worked, BTMM, with its NAT transversal, was one of the things Apple really got right. No home user wants to set up IPsec and mDNS themselves. I could remotely access my files, view my screen (any of several Macs), SSH, and access any other mDNS services. In my opinion, BTMM and Time Machine are some of the best features of macOS.

Oh well. At least we'll have Animojis in the latest version of iOS. I'm glad the brightest minds and biggest budgets are working on something useful.
 
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