Hands-on: iPhone Mirroring with iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia [Video]

Yesterday, Apple released the second beta for iOS 18 and macOS 10.15 Sequoia, and it arrived featuring one of the headline components shared between both OSes. iPhone Mirroring, a feature that lets you both mirror and fully control an iPhone via Continuity, is now available in the latest betas.

In this hands-on video, we test-drive iPhone Mirroring to showcase its capabilities. Be sure to watch our full hands-on with iOS 18 for more, and subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for upcoming coverage of iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.

Video: iPhone Mirroring in iOS 18 hands-on

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What’s required to use iPhone Mirroring?

iPhone Mirroring supports Apple silicon and Intel-based Mac computers with a T2 Security Chip. To get started with iPhone Mirroring, you must have an iPhone running iOS 18 beta 2 or later and a Mac running macOS Sequoia beta 2 or later.

iPhone Mirroring also requires that your iPhone and Mac be signed in with the same Apple ID using two-factor authentication Finally, your iPhone and Mac must be near each other and have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on. Your Mac cannot be using AirPlay or Sidecar in the meantime.

Launch the iPhone Mirroring app

To get started, launch the iPhone Mirroring app, which is located in /Applications. You may also find it via LaunchPad. Once launched, you’ll be greeted with a splash screen dedicated to iPhone Mirroring.

Click Continue to proceed with the iPhone Mirroring setup. If you have multiple iPhones nearby connected via Continuity, macOS will automatically select a device to use. You can, of course, configure the specific device via Settings. Next, you’ll be prompted to unlock your iPhone using its passcode to authenticate. This is a one-time unlock procedure for the verification process.

Once connected, you’ll see a message that says iPhone Mirroring is Ready to Use. Click Get Started to proceed.

You’ll then be prompted to verify with Touch ID or your Mac’s Password to login to connect to your iPhone. You’ll be prompted to do this every time as a security measure. If you’d like, you can bypass this security measure via iPhone Mirroring → Settings, and select Automatically Authenticate. When you do, you’ll be prompted to enter your Mac’s login password once more to confirm, but from that point forward iPhone Mirroring will immediately connect.

You’ll need to make sure that your iPhone is locked before you’re able to connect with iPhone Mirroring. If your iPhone is unlocked, you’ll receive a message that says iPhone in Use iPhone Mirroring will connect when iPhone is no longer in use. In that case, simply lock your iPhone to proceed with connectivity.

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Controlling iPhone via iPhone Mirroring on macOS

Navigating around iOS with your Mac via iPhone Mirroring is straightforward and simple. Just click to interact with content on the screen, just like you would a tap of your finger. To swipe between pages, use a two-finger left or right gesture on your Mac’s trackpad.

There are also two dedicated buttons in the upper right-hand corner of the iPhone Mirroring app. To reveal these buttons, and the rest of the window chrome, move your cursor towards the top of the interface. You’ll notice two buttons in the upper right-hand corner – a Home Screen button to navigate back to the Home Screen, and an App Switcher button to invoke the App Switcher.

You can also perform these actions via keyboard shortcuts or via the menu bar under the View option.

• Home Screen = ⌘+1
• App Switcher = ⌘+2
• Spotlight = ⌘+3

iPhone Mirroring does not support access to Control Center, Notification Center, or Siri via iPhone.

How to switch the iPhone used for iPhone Mirroring

On Mac, go to Settings → Desktop & Dock and under the Widgets section, you will see a drop-down box for iPhone. This is where you can configure the iPhone to be used with iPhone Mirroring.

You can also configure the Mac used for iPhone Mirroring from your iPhone. On iPhone, go to Settings → General → AirPlay & Continuity → iPhone Mirroring and select your Mac running macOS Sequoia beta 2 or later.

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Related video: iOS 18 Top Features

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Video and sound playback

Overall interactivity with your iPhone via iPhone Mirroring is very smooth, even in this early beta stage. However, what most impressed me was the wireless video playback on Mac via iPhone. Not only was the video good quality, but the sound quality was good and in sync as well. I played back an episode of the 9to5Mac Overtime video podcast and was taken aback by how good it looked and sounded.

With this said, it’s important to note that you cannot access the iPhone’s camera or microphone hardware directly via iPhone mirroring. Those areas are off-limits, most likely because of the security issues they might present if enabled.

Speaking of security, when you unlock your iPhone after a mirroring session, you’ll get an alert to let you know that a mirroring session occurred. This will clue you in just in case someone invoked a session without your knowledge from an unlocked Mac with Always Authenticate enabled.

iPhone notifications on Mac

One of the big features that Apple showed off regarding iPhone Mirroring at WWDC was receiving iPhone notifications on Mac. Not only can you see your iPhone’s notifications on your Mac while using iPhone Mirroring, but you can also take action and interact with said notifications, launching directly into an app on your iPhone.

iPhone notifications worked just as seamlessly as you might expect, and I was again impressed by the responsiveness and fluidity of it all. These notifications appear in Notification Center just like Mac notifications, but you’ll see a little iPhone icon in the bottom right of the app icon to indicate it’s originating from your iPhone. Once you disconnect your iPhone Mirroring session, these Notifications will remain, and they will attempt to invoke iPhone Mirroring if clicked.

Another big tentpole feature, drag-and-drop support, is not currently available in this initial iPhone Mirroring beta. Apple says that this feature is scheduled to arrive later this year, which could mean later in the iOS 18 beta cycle or with iOS 18.1 beta 1. Once drag-and-drop support launches, it will let users move photos, videos, and files seamlessly between iPhone and Mac.

9to5Mac’s Take

Even in this early beta stage, iPhone Mirroring works well. Features like this illustrate why Apple’s cohesive ecosystem is so strong, as apps, services, and hardware all work together relatively seamlessly.

I can see iPhone Mirroring being extremely popular for Mac users who want to take control of their iPhone without having it physically in hand. I look forward to seeing its growth, and the addition of drag and drop support, in future beta builds.

What are your thoughts on iPhone Mirroring? Sound off down below in the comments.