With the latest betas of iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, number six, Apple has further improved one of the flagship new features, “iPhone Mirroring”. The one that allows you to fully control your iPhone from your Mac now offers the possibility of managing the home screen without touching your phone. After adding resizing, the firm continues to refine the copying of the iPhone on Mac.
The “mirror” function
As explained after WWDC 24, iPhone mirroring is simply awesome. “Mirroring” allows you to control an iPhone via a Mac, with all its features. This goes much further than AirPlay mirroring which has existed for years.
When you’re signed in to the same Apple ID on both your Mac and iPhone, you can use “mirroring” to interact with your iPhone, even when it’s locked. You can open and use apps, manage notifications, send messages, and even type or play games using your Mac’s keyboard, trackpad, or mouse. You can also easily keep track of notifications from your iPhone.
A new possibility
With iOS 18 beta 6 (or iOS 18.1 beta 2), Apple added an option to enter “edit” mode (called “jiggle”). After enabling the “iPhone Mirroring” app on Mac, you can click and hold on the iPhone’s home screen to enter edit mode. This lets you do everything you can do on the iPhone itself, from deleting and rearranging apps to managing widgets.
You can add widgets, adjust their size, use icon shortcuts, switch icons to dark mode, and more. However, there’s no option to access the Lock screen or Control Center, and notifications are only visible through the Mac’s Notification Center.
Apple introduced the new jiggle feature in the beta versions of iOS 18, iOS 18.1, macOS 15, and macOS 15.1. If you have any of these betas installed, you should be able to use the new iPhone mirroring feature right away.
Other changes in the beta
Finally, remember that macOS Sequoia also adds remote control when using the SharePlay screen sharing feature. This option allows you to request permission to control a person’s device remotely in order to provide them with more direct technical assistance, ideal for helping a parent, without having to travel.