iPhone inside your Mac? Yes, iPhone mirroring gives 2-in-1 access and can change how you work

This is not a new feature. Not new in a sense because we first saw it in the middle of the last year when Apple announced it at the WWDC. I am talking about the iPhone Mirroring, a feature that allows people to pair their iPhone with a MacBook laptop. But it is only now I have discovered and have realised just how useful and powerful it is. But why now?

Well, an office colleague nudged me. You see, I like memes – or absolutely love some if they are purrfect. It’s like a daily dose of happiness. However it is also becoming an addicting dose. In fact, every time I unlock my iPhone my muscle memory somehow makes me check all my notifications, messages, WhatsApp chats, and in no time I end up spending minutes scrolling through Instagram or Twitter where there are always funny and furry animals waiting to distract us.

While this looks and does no harm, or so I feel, the constant itch of checking the phone and FOMO is real. One moment I am working on my laptop and then there is a tiny TING! Next moment, after checking the source of that TING, I am on Instagram, scrolling through reels. I have tried dealing with this by turning the silent mode on the phone, but then that brings anxiety. What if I miss an important ping from a friend or family member. What if there is an urgent message from my bank that requires immediate attention.

The iPhone Mirroring supposedly solves this problem. And potentially a few others. As I use the iPhone Mirroring, I believe I have found a way to solve my FOMO.

So, what is iPhone Mirroring

Well, I started using the iPhone Mirroring feature a few weeks ago after updating my iPhone and the MacBook to the latest software. The feature was launched in September 2024 with the release of macOS Sequoia and right now it is available for users with an iPhone running iOS 18 and a Mac running Sequoia.

As its name suggests, this new feature allows Apple users to mirror their iPhone display on the screen of the MacBook. And not just screen. Once turned on, the feature also allows you to control your iPhone using the trackpad and keyboard through the Mac. Essentially you can use almost all iPhone apps that you have installed on your phone through the paired MacBook. It allows you to use these apps — for example you can open an Ola or Uber app on your MacBook and book the cab without picking up your phone. Or can use an app like Splitwise, which is mostly used by people on their phone.

Most significantly, though, you can even drag and drop files or photos between the iPhone and the MacBook. It’s kind of awesome!

Setting up iPhone Mirroring

Now, Mirroring is not a new concept or feature and some Android phones too offer something similar. But after using the feature regularly for days, I can assure you that no one has done better than Apple. Now, before you can use the iPhone Mirroring, you need to start with it. Here is how you go about it.

– To start the iPhone Mirroring feature, update your MacBook to macOS Sequoia and iPhone to iOS18. Once updated, your MacBook will automatically show the mirroring app feature in the doc. If not, you can also find it in the Applications folder.

— The feature requires you to have the Bluetooth and WiFi turned on. It doesn’t matter that you are not connected to the WiFi but you need to have it turned on.

— It is important that you are using the same Apple account on both the iPhone and the Mac.

– Follow on-screen instructions. You will need to put in Phone PIN and Apple account passwords.

– Once the mirroring is done, you will see your iPhone screen on your MacBook. Now you can also adjust the screen by tapping on View and adjust the size.

– Once everything is set to your liking, you can start using your iPhone through your Mac. You can either open it as one of the screens in a multi-screen window or just keep it minimised.

– Note that the iPhone Mirroring works only if your phone is locked. As soon as you unlock the phone, the Mirroring will pause.

iPhone Mirroring pros and cons

Having said that, chances are you won’t need to pick the iPhone frequently. As noted earlier, this feature not just allows you to use the iPhone on Mac, but it also shows phone notifications directly in the Mac notification panel and when you click on a notification, it opens in the mirrored window. There is absolutely no need to go to the phone to take action on a notification.

Like noted earlier, this is one feature that is actually letting me curb my excessive phone use. I pick my phone less every day now. When I am working and have to respond to something on the phone, I can now do it directly through the Mac.

This seamless integration of notifications also helps me when I have kept the phone away during meetings or while charging. I can do so and not have FOMO.

Another thing that helps — basically has helped me — with my phone addiction is the necessary friction that the iPhone Mirroring brings to my usage. Using the phone through mirroring requires a little bit more effort, and that I believe is a good thing.

The mirrored iPhone screen allows you to access your phone, but you navigate it using a trackpad and keyboard. The scrolling doesn’t get the benefit of the mighty thumb and a super-smooth screen. Instead, you scroll through the trackpad and that means even if you force yourself to binge on reels, your fingers get tired soon. In other words, the experience of using the phone through the Mac is slightly cumbersome and that is less addictive. Hence, you do use the iPhone Mirroring to access your phone, but it naturally forces you to limit yourself to important stuff and not doom scroll all the time.

Now, this doesn’t mean that at work I am just working slavishly on the Mac — something that my boss would definitely prefer me to do. I mean a little break is always a good idea. And since the big screen allows multitasking, I often use the mirroring app to quickly glance through my social media apps and check on messages, or any funny reels from friends – sometimes the memes and reels can be urgent you know. But as I noted, scrolling needs effort on a trackpad and it is not as easy as on a phone so I no longer end up scrolling for tens of minutes.

What’s the catch? There are some limitations. The camera app, for example, cannot be accessed or used in the mirroring mode. Netflix is another app that didn’t work as I tried using it in mirroring mode. At the same time, there is the UPI app for which I always needed to use the phone.

My sense is that the best use case for most people with the iPhone Mirroring is going to be its potential to cut down on phone use, FOMO and screen addiction. It is also a convenient way to access the phone in situations where you might otherwise not. For example, you can keep the phone on charging in a different room in your house and still access it through a MacBook. While travelling too, if you are working on your Mac you can keep your iPhone in your pocket or a bag while you work on your laptop in the airport waiting area.

At the same time, I believe, the usability and versatility of this feature means different people might even find different sorts of usage for it. I am using the iPhone Mirroring to deal with my social media issues. Someone else might find it the best way to move files between two devices. Someone else might find some other use for it. But irrespective of how you use it, you will likely find it the best implementation of device mirroring that we have seen so far in the world of consumer technology.