10 ways to get more productive on your Mac with your iPhone

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Learn how to make calls from your computer, share content, and use your smartphone to unlock your Mac.

1. Copy and paste content

Apple's proprietary Continuity technology provides a seamless user experience and the ability to seamlessly navigate from device to device as you work. With the universal clipboard, you can copy text, links, and other content to your Mac and then paste it onto your iPhone. And vice versa.

To use this feature, make sure both devices have Bluetooth enabled and are connected to the same wireless network. Also check if Handoff is enabled on Mac and iPhone:

• On macOS, open Preferences → General and check the box next to Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices.
• In iOS, go to "Settings" → "General" and turn on the toggle switch of the same name.

2. Continue working on other devices

After enabling the previous option, you can also start working in the desktop version of the application, and then continue it on the iPhone or iPad. It works with Mail, Safari, Calendar, and many other standard applications.

For example, you can start writing a note on your iPhone, and then move on to your Mac and pick up the text where you left off.

MacOS recognizes tasks running in parallel and displays them as an additional icon in the dock on the left.

To continue working with an open application on iOS, you need to open the multitasking menu by swiping up or double-clicking the Home button, and then tapping on the small panel at the bottom.

3. Answer calls from Mac

If your iPhone is linked to the same account as your Mac, you can use your computer to make and receive calls over the cellular network. To do this, activate the corresponding option on both devices and connect them to the same mongrel network.

• On macOS, launch FaceTime, open Preferences, and check the Call from iPhone checkbox.
• On iOS, go to Settings → Phone → On Other Devices, turn on the Allow Calls toggle switch, and check Mac.

Now, if your iPhone rings, you can take the call directly from your computer. It will also be possible to make calls by clicking on the phone number links in the browser and other applications.

4. Receive and send SMS from Mac

Messages work the same way. For SMS to work on Mac, you must first set up call forwarding on iPhone and use the same number for iMessage as on your smartphone.

• On iOS, go to Settings → Messages → Forwarding and turn on the toggle switch in front of the Mac.
• On macOS, launch the Messages app, open Settings, and on the Accounts tab, check the box next to your phone number.

After applying the changes, all SMS will be sent not only to the phone, but also to the computer. You can also reply to messages from your Mac and create new ones.

5. Send files, documents, links

For sharing content, Apple has AirDrop, which lets you share content with nearby devices. When the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules are turned on, the AirDrop menu will be active in the standard Share, where all detected devices will appear.

You can send content from macOS to iOS and vice versa in any combination. And not only files, but also folders. This works for photos, documents, notes, links and contacts.

6. Use iPhone as a hotspot

When normal Wi-Fi is not at hand, you can always use your smartphone to connect to the Internet. For these purposes, the "Modem Mode" function, which is available on iPhone and iPad with a cellular module, is used.

First you need to enable it on your iOS device. To do this, go to "Settings" → "Modem mode" and turn on the toggle switch of the same name.

You can now connect to your Mac via the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar. Find your iPhone in the list of networks and select it. It also shows the signal strength and battery charge of the smartphone.

7. Manage Safari Tabs

After turning on iCloud Sync for Browser, you can view and close open tabs on Mac from iPhone, and vice versa. To do this, make sure Safari sync is enabled on both devices.

• On macOS, open Preferences → iCloud and check the box next to Safari.
• On iOS, go to Settings → Apple ID → iCloud and turn on the Safari toggle switch.

This will bring up lists of tabs from all your devices in the open tabs menu in Safari on Mac. They can be closed one at a time or all at once.

On the iPhone, the corresponding list of tabs is displayed in the standard toggle menu, just below the preview of active tabs.

8. Unlock Mac with iPhone

By standard means, you can unlock the Mac only through the Apple Watch, but if you install a special application, then the iPhone is also suitable for these purposes. There are many similar programs on the App Store. Here are a couple of the most popular ones.

The essence of this method is that a server part is installed on the computer, which is synchronized via Bluetooth with a mobile application. As soon as you approach the Mac with the iPhone in your pocket, the computer will automatically unlock without entering a password. And when the smartphone is removed a few meters, the Mac screen is immediately blocked.

9. Use Mac as iPhone keyboard

A somewhat non-standard solution, which nevertheless has the right to exist. With the help of all the same third-party applications, Mac can be turned into a Bluetooth keyboard and connected to an iOS device.

This can be done by installing the Typeeto utility. It allows you to connect to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV and type text in mobile apps on a physical Mac keyboard. In some cases, this feature can be quite useful.

The only drawback of Typeeto is its high price. True, the application has a free trial period, during which you can see whether it is worth spending money on such a keyboard.

10. Control Mac from iPhone

By default, macOS has a remote desktop feature that lets you view and control everything that happens on your Mac screen. This can be done not only from another computer, but also from an iPhone.

You just need to open "Preferences" → "Sharing" on your Mac and put a check in the side menu next to the item "Screen share".

To connect to a Mac from an iPhone, install the free VNC Viewer app. Next, find out the local IP address of your Mac by clicking on the Wi-Fi icon while holding down the Option key.

Then open VNC Viewer, click "+" and enter the IP address of the computer in the corresponding field, assign a name if desired and confirm the connection by entering the Mac administrator password.

You can now control your computer from your smartphone.