When you use a Mac, iPad, iPhone or Apple Watch, you’re able to do incredible things. And when you use them together, you can do so much more. Use your iPhone as a webcam for your Mac. Make and receive phone calls without picking up your iPhone. Automatically unlock your Mac when you’re wearing your Apple Watch. It’s like they were all made for each other. Because they were.
Continuity Camera lets you use your iPhone as a webcam, unlocking unique features for your next video call or livestream. And you can use your iPhone to scan documents and insert photos directly into your work on Mac.
Use iPhone as a webcam. Setup is seamless and wireless — just bring your iPhone close to your Mac and your iPhone will appear as an available webcam in FaceTime, Zoom and other apps. Continuity Camera unlocks new capabilities like Desk View, which allows you to share a top-down view of your workspace, and Studio Light, which artfully lights your face while dimming the background. And Centre Stage makes sure you stay in the picture if you move around during your call.
Scan or shoot straight to your Mac. Use your iPhone to take a picture or scan a document and have it automatically appear on your Mac. Take a photo of something on your desk and instantly see it in your Pages document. Or scan a receipt and a straightened version is immediately available in the Finder as a PDF. Continuity Camera works in the Finder, Mail, Messages, Notes, Pages, Keynote and Numbers. It’s another way iPhone and Mac just click.
Control both your Mac and your iPad with a single keyboard and mouse or trackpad. Move your cursor fluidly between them. And create like never before using the power of both devices. For example, use Apple Pencil to draw detailed illustrations on iPad, then use your mouse to drag them into a presentation you’re putting together on Mac.
Share content — like videos or Keynote slides — from another Apple device on the big, high-quality screen of your Mac. Mirror or extend your display to pump up your productivity. You can also use your Mac as an AirPlay speaker and enjoy high-fidelity, room-filling sound from another device.
Sidecar lets you extend your workspace by using your iPad as a second Mac display. Work in one app while you reference another or view your main canvas on one display while spreading out your tools and palettes on the other. You can also mirror the screens so they both display the same content, making it perfect for sharing exactly what you see with others.
Express your creativity. With Apple Pencil. Sidecar also brings the ease and precision of Apple Pencil to your favourite creative Mac apps. Use Apple Pencil to design in Illustrator, edit photos in Affinity Photo or create 3D models in ZBrush. Simply drag your content to your iPad to get started. The handy sidebar even puts essential Command, Control and Shift keys right at your fingertips.
Continuity Markup lets you sign documents, correct papers or circle important details in images. Use your Apple Pencil on iPad or your finger on iPhone and see updates live on your Mac. And Continuity Sketch lets you create a sketch on your iPad or iPhone that automatically inserts into any document on your Mac.
With a Mac and iPhone, you can send and receive SMS text messages — the ones in green bubbles — straight from your Mac. All the messages that appear on your iPhone appear on your Mac too, so all your conversations are up to date on all your devices. And when friends text you — regardless of what phone they have — you can respond from your Mac or your iPhone, whichever is closest.1 You can also start an SMS or iMessage conversation on your Mac by clicking a phone number in Safari, Contacts, Calendar or Spotlight.
Take iPhone calls on your Mac, Apple Watch or iPad. You can answer a call or dial a new one while your iPhone is buried in your backpack or is charging in another room. Just click or tap to accept the call, and say hello.2
Receiving calls. When a call comes to your iPhone, you can answer the call on your Mac, Apple Watch or iPad. You’ll get a notification showing you the caller’s name, number and profile picture. You’ll also hear a ringtone — the same ringtone you have for that person on your iPhone. Click the notification to answer, and your Mac becomes a speakerphone, so you can have a phone conversation while you continue what you’re doing.
Making calls. Making a phone call from your Mac is as easy as receiving one. You can click any phone number you see in Contacts, Calendar, Messages, Spotlight or Safari to dial a call. You can even start a call from your FaceTime call history or enter the digits on your keyboard.
Automatically log in to your Mac when you’re wearing your Apple Watch. No password typing required. Need to take a quick call or step away? Get straight back to work when you return.
Say you start writing an email on your iPhone, but you want to finish it on your Mac. Or you start writing a report on your iMac, but want to continue on your iPad as you head to your meeting. Handoff makes it possible. When your Mac, iOS or iPadOS devices are near each other, they can automatically pass what you’re doing from one device to another.3 An icon representing the last app you were using will appear on your second device — in the Dock on your Mac or iPad or in the App Switcher on your iPhone. Just click or tap to pick up right where you left off without having to search for the file. Handoff works with Mail, Safari, Notes, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Maps, Messages, Reminders, Calendar and Contacts. And app developers can easily build Handoff into their apps.
Copy images, video or text from an app on your iPhone or iPad. Then paste into another app on your nearby Mac — or vice versa. There are no extra steps. Just copy and paste as you normally do. Found a great recipe while browsing on your Mac? Paste the ingredients straight to the shopping list on your iPhone or iPad. You can even copy and paste entire files between two Mac systems.
AirDrop makes sharing files between Mac and iOS or iPadOS devices simple. With just a few clicks on your Mac, you can take a file from any folder and use AirDrop to send it to a nearby Mac, iPhone or iPad. And since AirDrop is peer to peer, it works without a Wi‑Fi network. It’s perfect for, say, sharing a document with a co-worker in the next room or sending a presentation to a client across the table. You can use AirDrop to send files from the Share menu in your apps or from the Finder. Recipients will receive a notification, which they can simply click or tap to download the file.
It’s easy to pay when shopping on the web using Apple Pay in Safari. Just look for Apple Pay on your favourite shopping sites, then complete your purchase with Face ID or Touch ID on your iPhone or iPad. You can also use Touch ID on MacBook Pro or MacBook Air or double‑click the side button on your Apple Watch. Your credit card details are never shared when you use Apple Pay, and your transactions are protected with industry-leading security.
No Wi‑Fi? No problem. With Instant Hotspot, your Mac can remotely activate the Personal Hotspot on your iPhone when they are near each other.4 Simply select your iPhone from the Wi‑Fi menu on your Mac and you’ll be online in seconds. You can even leave your iPhone in your pocket or bag. When connected to your Personal Hotspot, your Mac displays the signal strength and battery life of your iPhone at the top of the Wi‑Fi menu. After you finish browsing, the hotspot automatically deactivates to preserve battery life. The next time you want to get online and there’s no Wi‑Fi, your Mac will ask you if you want to use your hotspot again. Just click OK to get online.