Other Do you want to remotely control your iPhone? Think Apple will ever implement it?

[subjonas]

I like to keep my iPhone charging when I get home and only use my iPad and Mac. Sync and Continuity are great but there are still many times I need to go grab my phone—to use apps or get files that are only on my phone—eg. check voicemail, etc. I often wish that I could remotely control my iPhone with one of my other devices. Anyone else wish that Apple would implement this? Think it will come or do you see issues standing in the way?
Ideally I’d like any device the same screen size or bigger that is signed into the same Apple ID and on the same wifi network to be able to open up an app to remotely control the iPhone, probably with additional face or touch ID authentication.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I could see Apple implementing a feature like that down the road. I really wouldn't have a need for that kind of control, as I use my phone the least compared to my Apple Watch and Macs.

 

[Shirasaki]

Apple has tools to remotely control ANY device from their side. Of course they’d only publicly use the tool for remote diagnosis and assistance publicly, but if apple want, they could introduce the same tool to MDM providers, and you can purchase those services for remotely controlling any of your devices.
Thing is, apple hasn't done this, and even with 2FA I doubt apple will introduce this voluntarily.
I’m in the same boat as you that I use iPad way more than iPhone. I even carry iPad outside when shopping or whatnot cause I can use Apple Watch to pay. Weird, right?

 

[subjonas]

Yes I’m also a light user when it comes to my phone! But it still has things that I need to access from time to time—often enough that it gets annoying having to walk over to where it’s charging from wherever I am at home in order to use it for a few seconds.

Thing is, apple hasn't done this, and even with 2FA I doubt apple will introduce this voluntarily.

Maybe it would be easier to implement securely if it’s just while on the same wifi network, like in my use case. Truly remote, from say the office to home, might be too much work to implement and not enough use cases for Apple to think it’s worth it. Perhaps.

 

[Barbareren]

Interesting topic. I hadn’t thought about it, but it’s weird that it isn’t possible. I remember being able to fully control my Sony-Ericsson P800 from my laptop almost 20 years ago lol…

 

[One2Grift]

It's an interesting question. IMHO:
iPhone will have an embedded webserver? I believe you can setup the iPhone to provide some offhand webserver functions(or so I've heard). But a webserver (or app-app emulation) with a user interface that makes it like (or sorta like) you have the iPhone in your hand? I'd be greatly surprised. In the eco (with iCloud -- can't speak for non iCloud) there already is some app propagation as well as docs. You can make calls and texts with watch and Mac (I believe IP calls and texts with iPad). I'm guessing the need beyond that would be a very small number of users.

Plus Apple has a vested interest in selling an eco that, they hope, is something average not so technically inclined people can use (EoU + it just works). 1. Device eco mother is iPhone. 2. Device eco daughters; watch, Mac, iPad, ATV, AirPods etc. 3. Setup: little required for them to do what I stated above. 4. Limit what users can do to get themselves "in trouble" with the eco
Some don't like that but that is basically, as I see it, Apple's philosophy. The closest they have to getting what OP mentions is limited within MacOS.

 

[ian87w]

It would be cool to implement something like Microsoft's Your Phone app on Windows and Samsung Galaxy phone, where the phone's screen is mirrored on Windows desktop, and allows you to control it via your Windows machine. It has a lot of usage potential, eg. controlling an iPhone remotely as a camera form a Mac. And since now both Macs and iPhones are on Apple Silicon, Apple should be able to do this easily.

 

[danmart]

Since I (like many here, I am sure) am unpaid support for family members this would be really handy when they have a problem. The amount of time and heart ache from conversations like ‘can you see the menu button’ … ‘what menu button?’ which could be eliminated with this capability!

Now that we have screen sharing coming to FaceTime I would think that allowing remote control of a device would be a natural future step (unless it is being built in already?). As ever, the main concern will be security so that bad-actors cannot hijack your device.

 

[eyoungren]

I did this via jailbreak for years using Veency. Same concept as using VNC on a computer.

Veency worked in iOS 8/9 and has not been updated as far as I can tell. So, no idea if there is any current jailbreak tweak that does it.

 

[subjonas]

Since I (like many here, I am sure) am unpaid support for family members this would be really handy when they have a problem. The amount of time and heart ache from conversations like ‘can you see the menu button’ … ‘what menu button?’ which could be eliminated with this capability!

Now that we have screen sharing coming to FaceTime I would think that allowing remote control of a device would be a natural future step (unless it is being built in already?). As ever, the main concern will be security so that bad-actors cannot hijack your device.

Hmm yes remote would be very useful for things like family IT support.
If Apple can make it secure and easy to use, that feature would probably be a huge selling point to families.
It would also entice people into the Apple ecosystem since it will only be possible with Apple devices. Of course that will probably get Apple accused of anticompetitive behavior…

 

[Shirasaki]

Hmm yes remote would be very useful for things like family IT support.
If Apple can make it secure and easy to use, that feature would probably be a huge selling point to families.
It would also entice people into the Apple ecosystem since it will only be possible with Apple devices. Of course that will probably get Apple accused of anticompetitive behavior…

I mean, apple tapping into any industry could easily attract anti competitive accusation. But that’s beyond the point.

 

[Blowback]

I like to keep my iPhone charging when I get home and only use my iPad and Mac. Sync and Continuity are great but there are still many times I need to go grab my phone—to use apps or get files that are only on my phone—eg. check voicemail, etc. I often wish that I could remotely control my iPhone with one of my other devices. Anyone else wish that Apple would implement this? Think it will come or do you see issues standing in the way?
Ideally I’d like any device the same screen size or bigger that is signed into the same Apple ID and on the same wifi network to be able to open up an app to remotely control the iPhone, probably with additional face or touch ID authentication.

You can do something 'smally' with the watch when taking photos with the phone....

 

[subjonas]

You can do something 'smally' with the watch when taking photos with the phone....

Huh? I’m sorry, I don’t understand.

 

[danmart]

I think @Blowback is referring to how you can use the Watch as a remote viewer and shutter control for the iPhone camera.

 

[Blowback]

Huh? I’m sorry, I don’t understand.

Denmark is correct in what I was referring to....I should have been more concise. 'Smally' was meant to be humorous......

 

[subjonas]

Denmark is correct in what I was referring to....I should have been more concise. 'Smally' was meant to be humorous......

Ah ok haha I never heard the word smally before. That threw me off. I take it that means “in a small way”

 

[11235813]

Now that we can screen mirror iPhone to a MacBook fullscreen, I'm sure Apple could do the same thing in a window and make it intractable with trackpad and keyboard. Will they do it though? I think no.

 

[Blowback]

Ah ok haha I never heard the word smally before. That threw me off. I take it that means “in a small way”

Um...it wasn't 'bigly'....(hint; hint)?

 

[subjonas]

Now that we can screen mirror iPhone to a MacBook fullscreen, I'm sure Apple could do the same thing in a window and make it intractable with trackpad and keyboard. Will they do it though? I think no.

I’m more interested in using my iPad to control my iPhone than using my Mac to control, though that too. Not that I think using iPad to control is more likely.
Speaking of the new iPhone (and iPad?) to Mac airplay function, I also want to airplay from my iPhone to my iPad!

 

[akash.nu]

I see this as such a niche feature that Apple might not worry about something like this. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯