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iPhone Mirroring in macOS Sequoia and iOS 18: Everything You Need to Know

What is the use case for this feature? I have never needed or wanted to see what is on my phone on my computer. Do people leave their phones in the other room and instead of getting up to get it they lazily can now log in from 15 feet away? This is another example of Apple's phase of "re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic" when it comes to Mac OS, which has been going on for several versions now. They create apps (Freeform) which no one needs and features like this which benefit very few. How about fixing HomeKit? Or getting Siri to actually work? Or updating Apple Music into something modern (I am looking at you, Playlists on the nav that are impossible to organize). I have been using Apple products since 1983, and I believe we have reached the reductio ad absurdum portion of our program. It's gotten bad enough that I have considered buying a Windows laptop. And I hate the f---ing NOTCH.
 
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Realityck said:
iPadOS wouldn't work because of the current forced positioning of graphical resolution representation of the iPhone mirroring on MacOS. iPadOS doesn't use positioning app windows by default. Stage Manager on IpadOS isn't ideal for this as you know. :)
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What does “forced positioning of graphical resolution” mean? If you mean floating window, can’t it exist as a normal iPad app but with black bars, which can either be full screen or split or side over? I remember seeing a lot of iPhone-only apps that launch this way on iPad. Although maybe it would be best to only launch into a slide over window.
 
Why don't the EU create a "Side App Store" and add these features to their Phones?
 
subjonas said:
What does “forced positioning of graphical resolution” mean? If you mean floating window, can’t it exist as a normal iPad app but with black bars, which can either be full screen or split or side over? I remember seeing a lot of iPhone-only apps that launch this way on iPad. Although maybe it would be best to only launch into a slide over window.
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The positions for placement are fixed. See menu halves and quarters. That is like placement choices left center, top, bottom positions as example. You apps windows can also can be arranged around the mirroring using arranged.

Screenshot 2024-07-19.png
 
i wish it was this good with pixel / chromebook.

if iphone had multiple user profiles, id get it. that's the only thing missing. the lock apps function is good with ios18 but, please, can we please get full featured multiple users. thank you.

its important enough a feature that i have to stay on pixel.
 
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DrPangloss1759 said:
What is the use case for this feature? I have never needed or wanted to see what is on my phone on my computer. Do people leave their phones in the other room and instead of getting up to get it they lazily can now log in from 15 feet away? This is another example of Apple's phase of "re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic" when it comes to Mac OS, which has been going on for several versions now. They create apps (Freeform) which no one needs and features like this which benefit very few. How about fixing HomeKit? Or getting Siri to actually work? Or updating Apple Music into something modern (I am looking at you, Playlists on the nav that are impossible to organize). I have been using Apple products since 1983, and I believe we have reached the reductio ad absurdum portion of our program. It's gotten bad enough that I have considered buying a Windows laptop. And I hate the f---ing NOTCH.
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So, I was wondering about use case too, since I use continuity and iCloud extensively. All of the documents, notes, and photos on my Mac are synced on my iPhone and visa versa.

Anyway, I think the advantage of this feature is that there are some apps on my phone that are not on my Mac. For example, I sail and have apps that show predicted wind and current on my phone. I can look these up on my Mac using a browser but they are not as good as the apps on my phone. If I am planning a trip or preparing for a race, I can check the tides and winds from my Mac whilst emailing/texting the crew. It's a convenience. I don't know if it will be a "game changer" for me. I'll just have to use it for a while to see.
 
DrPangloss1759 said:
Do people leave their phones in the other room and instead of getting up to get it they lazily can now log in from 15 feet away?
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Think you underestimate people and the nature of technology itself.

Half of what tech is, is just making things easy for you, even if it's saving a fraction of a second.

It's why we have Touch/FaceID instead of typing a password to unlock our phone, saves us 2 seconds.
It's why people get a watch, see notifications on their wrist instead of simply getting up to get their phone.
No need to carry around a camera or music player when you have both on the phone now.
Save 3 seconds by unlocking your car door with a key instead of inserting it.
Paying with a tap on your watch instead of reaching in your back pocket for your credit card.
Same logic with wireless of anything, it's simply convenience.
Same goes with social media apps (TikTok's easy to use app), UI, etc.

We live in an age where every fraction of a second matters, where not having to move around to do something matters, etc, etc.

So yes, having my phone on my Mac which is what I'm on 10 hours a day is a game changer, increases my productivity. I can simply set my iPhone now on a MagSafe charger all day, horizontally, so it can show me a calendar/time/widgets at a glance.
 
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For those wondering the use case, I run the TikTok of a large company and there’s no way to post to TikTok from a computer. It’s very tedious and easy to make mistakes posting from my phone. Specifically trimming and aligning music from the TikTok library is a total pain with your finger but you need the music to be added in app for discoverability reasons. Writing long video descriptions is also a pain so I currently have to switch apps and copy then go back and paste and paste doesn’t work on iPhone half of the time if the box is empty so I have to type a letter, highlight that letter with my finger, than paste over it. All this gets old when you’re posting 2-3 vids a day.

That all said, I’ve so far avoided pairing my iPhone or Apple ID to my work MacBook. I already hate that my personal phone is overrun with work junk, especially 20-30GB of video footage a day. I don’t want anything on my work computer syncing to my Apple ID and don’t want personal notifications etc popping up on my work laptop.

Really wish my work would spring for a work phone or that Apple had better profiles on the iPhone.
 
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This feature looks amazing and I know I'll find it extremely useful. But it feels like it overlaps with AirPlay Mirroring. Guess it's a reworking of AirPlay Mirroring by "bringing your iPhone into your Mac" instead of just controlling your iPhone from your Mac.

Use AirPlay to stream video or mirror the screen of your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support (CA)

Use AirPlay to stream or share content from your Apple devices to your Apple TV, AirPlay-compatible smart TV, or Mac. Stream a video. Share your photos. Or mirror exactly what's on your device's screen.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
What is the point of this feature? Why would I want to mirror my iPhone on a laptop?
 
robertosh said:
Not for me. I have continuity disabled in all my devices, it helps me to focus and better control what I do which each device. I have different set of apps in each device, and even with different Apple ids. It seems that Apple wants us to be completely connected whatever we are doing, wherever we are, to do not miss any notification (From us!). Luckily I don’t have this hectic life any more.
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It’s actually a nice system tbh. Unfortunately things like Universal Clipboard which I do use, require everything To be signed to the same Apple ID. So does Apple sidecar. As for notifications, I turn them all off with only a handful of exceptions.
 
yustas said:
What is the point of this feature? Why would I want to mirror my iPhone on a laptop?
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One thing I can immediately think of is farming in mobile games. Instead of having to look down at your iPhone to do the next tap, you can just switch to your iPhone mirror window and click. Probably ”safer” (sarcasm) than trying to install (unsigned genuine) iOS games and run it.
 
QquegChristian said:
For those wondering the use case, I run the TikTok of a large company and there’s no way to post to TikTok from a computer. It’s very tedious and easy to make mistakes posting from my phone. Specifically trimming and aligning music from the TikTok library is a total pain with your finger but you need the music to be added in app for discoverability reasons. Writing long video descriptions is also a pain so I currently have to switch apps and copy then go back and paste and paste doesn’t work on iPhone half of the time if the box is empty so I have to type a letter, highlight that letter with my finger, than paste over it. All this gets old when you’re posting 2-3 vids a day.

That all said, I’ve so far avoided pairing my iPhone or Apple ID to my work MacBook. I already hate that my personal phone is overrun with work junk, especially 20-30GB of video footage a day. I don’t want anything on my work computer syncing to my Apple ID and don’t want personal notifications etc popping up on my work laptop.

Really wish my work would spring for a work phone or that Apple had better profiles on the iPhone.
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I’m sorry to hear that.
 
Does the Dynamic Island work with this? I find it very very useful for things like timers, parking apps that have timers built in, music etc. Would be great to have it on my wMac when I am working, without having to constantly pick up my phone. Super widget within a widget.
 
I know it’s not available in EU, but I can’t find any info about Australia? I’m running the latest betas on both Mac and iPhone and the iPhone Mirroring app is not even installed on my Mac. It’s not even hidden in the Applications folder.
 
bLackjackj said:
No. Rediculous crippling of the mirror feature by Apple.
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Most of the time when you have the iPhone resting on a table it defaults to portrait.

If you have it in landscape position learning against something while plugged in the iPhone presents an orange clock and calendar and is in use, so it can't be mirrored.

Now somethings will automatically play in landscape for example Tubi streaming video content using the app when you click on zoom. But it won't be any different then the iPhone in landscape, you can't grow it to fill the Mac desktop.

Apple TV app doesn't work in the same manner.
 
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