I installed the macOS Sequoia update on my M1 MacBook Pro 16 a week ago. After the first restart, I was prompted to set up “iPhone Mirroring,” and I complied. I followed the steps, which are super easy and foolproof, and got the feature working in no time.
It’s been about 5-6 days now, and I’m absolutely blown away by how iPhone Mirroring works. The fact that I can leave my phone in a different part of the house to charge or help control my OCD, yet still be able to use it on my MacBook with full functionality, is amazing. I never knew I needed this feature, but now that I have it, I wish Apple had introduced it years ago.
Controlling Your Phone Checking Compulsiveness
Since Apple introduced Handoff about two years ago, iPhone Mirroring is the best quality-of-life improvement they’ve made. Being able to check a notification quickly, pull up Instagram, or interact with a smart home app that only has an iPhone version—all of this and more—lets me stay focused on my computer and resist the urge to pick up my phone so often.
A recent situation made me really appreciate this feature. I was sitting with my MacBook on my lap and my iPhone in my pocket. I received iPhone notifications and could check them without having to put the laptop aside to fish out the phone.
The way iPhone Mirroring is set up and how it works is seamless—like, Apple seamless. I’ve had no issues using it. The only improvement I’d like is faster reconnection time. If Apple could reduce the current 4-5 seconds, it would make iPhone Mirroring even better. But I guess I’m spoiled for choice, aren’t I?
Phone mirroring has been available on Android for a while, but it’s nowhere near as seamless as you’d hope. The exception is Samsung Galaxy phones with Galaxy laptops, where mirroring works fairly well, but still not as seamlessly as Apple.
Here’s another example of why iPhone Mirroring is a blessing: most phone banking apps are only available on mobile, not macOS. In the past, I’d have to grab my iPhone to get the information I needed from a banking app, screenshot it, and send it to my MacBook. Now, I simply use mirroring to open the app, use the MacBook’s Touch ID to log in, and perform my tasks without ever taking the iPhone out of my pocket. Need to book an Uber while working on my laptop? No need to grab my phone. I can even manage Dynamic Island through iPhone Mirroring. Overall, the experience on the MacBook is smooth and crystal clear.
However, there are still some areas for improvement, like the ability to resize the iPhone Mirroring window or access the Control Center and Notifications. Additionally, apps run mostly at 30 frames per second. Both my iPhone 15 Pro and M1 MacBook Pro support ProMotion, but iPhone Mirroring doesn’t—yet.
The smoothness of iPhone Mirroring heavily depends on wireless connectivity. It would be great if this feature supported a USB connection since wireless connectivity can be unstable and is heavily range-dependent.
Also, keep in mind that this feature only works when your MacBook and iPhone are using the same iCloud account. You’ll also need to turn off any VPN to access it.
