How Apple Devices Can Work Better Together with Continuity Features

For iOS 18, macOS Sequoia

Intro

As is widely known, a major selling point of Apple devices is the interconnected ecosystem they collectively foster, allowing users to work seamlessly between iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other devices. Some of these features, like iCloud, iMessage, and FaceTime, are facilitated by central servers, whereas others, like the Continuity features discussed in this guide, are largely facilitated by Apple’s proprietary peer-to-peer networking protocols that allow devices to directly communicate with each other.

Keep in mind that this guide is not intended as an exhaustive list or explainer of every feature, but rather an overview of those which I consider to be most useful, and that I feel I have sufficient experience with to comment on their overall utility. Features that involve platforms I don’t personally have experience with, like iPadOS and watchOS, will be mentioned, but not covered in detail.

Prerequisites

Part of what makes Continuity features so convenient to use is the fact that many of them require no additional setup or configuration beyond what many users already have configured. For best results, all devices you want to use these features with should be signed into the same Apple Account, connected to the same Wi-Fi network, have Bluetooth turned on, running the latest version of their respective operating systems, and be within 30 feet (10 meters) of each other. Information about how to turn specific features on or off, or change their settings, is given in those features’ respective sections.

Features

Handoff

Handoff allows you to start a task on one device and pick it up on another. For example, you could start composing an email on your Mac, and then hand it off to your iPhone to continue working where you left off on the go, or open a webpage in Safari on your iPhone and then hand it off to your Mac. This feature should be on by default, and you can check on iOS and iPadOS by going to Settings > General > AirPlay & Continuity, and making sure the “Handoff” switch is on. On macOS, you can check by going to System Settings > General > AirDrop & Handoff, and making sure the “Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices” switch is on.

To hand a task off to your iPhone, with the app in the foreground on the source device, reveal the App Switcher on your iPhone, and double-tap the “[App name] from [Device name]” option; it should be the right-most option on this screen. To hand a task off to your Mac, with the app in the foreground on the source device, press Command-Tab on your Mac until VoiceOver announces “From [device].” Note that for this to work, the app must support Handoff and be installed on both devices.

Universal Clipboard

Universal Clipboard allows you to quickly and easily copy something, like text or an image, to the clipboard on one device, and paste it on another, as if both devices were sharing the same clipboard. This feature should work as long as Handoff is on; check the previous section for instructions on turning it on.

This feature may be useful when, for example, you’re viewing some text on your iPhone that you want to copy into a Pages document on your Mac. While you could open the document on your iPhone or hand it off to your Mac, you may find it easier to simply copy the snippet of text than try to work on the entire document on your iPhone. To do this, with both devices unlocked and near each other, select and copy the text on your iPhone, and then paste it like you’d paste anything else on your Mac. This works the same way in the other direction, allowing you to copy something on your Mac and paste it like you’d paste anything else on your iPhone, iPad, or other Mac.

iPhone Cellular Calls

You may have noticed, when receiving a call on your iPhone, your other devices ring as well. If they don’t, and you’d like them to, on your iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular > Calls on other devices, and make sure the “Allow calls on other devices” switch, as well as any devices you want to be able to make and receive calls with, are on. You may also want to make sure FaceTime notifications are turned on in your other devices’ Notifications Settings.

When receiving a call, the FaceTime app should open automatically on your Mac; Command-Tab to it and click the Answer button to answer the call. Similar to the iPhone, calls can be placed from your Mac by clicking a number on a website in Safari or in a contact in the Contacts app, by using Siri, or by using the FaceTime app. To make a call using the FaceTime app, either focus on a recent call in the “Recent calls” collection and choose “call” from the Actions menu (accessed by pressing VO-Command-Space), or if who you’re trying to call is not in your recent calls, click the “New FaceTime” button, and either click the “add contact” button to select a contact, or type a name or phone number in the text field and press Return. A popup button labeled with the name or number you want to call should appear in the dialog; click it and select the number, which should be the only selectable option in this menu.

On a call, if you need to use the keypad, such as when responding to a touchtone prompt system, click the Keypad button, interact with the group that appears, and click the digit you want to enter. To end the call, stop interacting with this group and click the End button.

Instant Hotspot

Instant Hotspot allows your other Apple devices to connect to your iPhone’s hotspot to access the Internet through its cellular connection, while keeping the “Personal hotspot” setting off to prevent your iPhone’s name from being broadcast to other devices not signed into your Apple Account. If your wireless carrier and service plan support tethering, the sharing of a mobile device’s cellular connection with other devices, Instant Hotspot should be on already with no additional configuration required.

To connect to your iPhone’s hotspot from one of your other devices, simply select it like you’d select any other Wi-Fi network. In addition, if your Mac or iPad loses its existing Wi-Fi connection, you should get a notification offering to connect to your iPhone’s hotspot. This should be on by default, and you can check in those devices’ Wi-Fi Settings.

If you are part of a family sharing group, you can optionally elect to share your iPhone’s hotspot with devices signed into family members’ Apple Accounts. To do this, go to Settings > Personal hotspot > Family sharing, and make sure it is on and the settings for each family member are what you want.

iPhone Mirroring

Note: For an audio demonstration of this feature, check out the AppleVis podcast episode “A Demonstration and Overview of iPhone Mirroring.”

iPhone Mirroring is a feature that allows you to view and control your iPhone from your Mac. To use it, open the iPhone Mirroring app on your Mac, and if this is your first time using it, follow the onscreen instructions to set it up to connect to your iPhone.

Your iPhone’s screen will appear in the iPhone Mirroring window on your Mac; use standard macOS VoiceOver commands and concepts to navigate the interface. You can also use the View menu to jump to key locations in iOS, such as the Home Screen, App Switcher, and Spotlight.

While it is technically possible to use iPhone Mirroring with VoiceOver as described above, it has several accessibility shortcomings in practice, and the precise behavior is not always consistent or reliable. For this reason, I find it most useful not for directly controlling my iPhone, but rather for its ability to forward iPhone notifications to my Mac, allowing me to quickly view them without needing to take my iPhone out of my pocket. When first setting up iPhone Mirroring, you are asked if you want to turn on iPhone notifications, and you can turn them on or off later, either globally or on a per-app basis, in System Settings > Notifications > Allow notifications from iPhone.

AirPlay to Mac

AirPlay to Mac allows you to stream content from another Apple device, or mirror its screen and audio, to a Mac. This may be useful if you, for example, want to project content from your iPhone onto your Mac’s more spacious display or more powerful speakers.

By default, your Mac should be visible as an AirPlay receiver to other devices signed into your Apple account. You can change this if you wish so that it’s visible to other devices on your network, or any nearby devices, in System Settings > General > AirDrop & Handoff. You can also set a password other devices will need to enter in order to stream content to your Mac, which you may want to do if you opt to have it visible to other people’s devices.

To stream content to a Mac, with the Mac unlocked, simply select the AirPlay button in the playback controls for whatever you’re playing on the source device, and the receiver Mac should appear like any other AirPlay destination. Alternatively, you can use the “Screen mirroring” feature in Control Center to stream all audio and visual content, including VoiceOver, from the source device to the receiver Mac.

If both devices are signed into the same Apple Account, the session will begin immediately; however, if the receiver Mac is signed into a different account than the source device, a notification will appear on the receiver Mac with options to either accept or reject the request. To end the session, either deselect your Mac on the source device, or click the “Stop AirPlay” button on the receiver Mac.

Other features

The following is a list of other Continuity features that I am aware of, but lack sufficient experience with to comment on their overall utility.

• Auto Unlock allows you to use your Apple Watch to authenticate on your Mac, as an alternative to entering a password or using Touch ID. This can be turned on in System Settings > Touch ID & Password. With this feature on, your Mac should unlock automatically whenever your Apple Watch is unlocked and on your wrist. If you are prompted for a password on your Mac, such as when completing a task that requires administrator privileges, you can double-click the Side button on your Apple Watch to authenticate.
• Continuity Camera allows your iPhone to be used as your Mac’s camera, potentially useful if you, for example, want to take a picture that would be impractical to take with your Mac, or want to give people you’re on a video call with a different view of your surroundings. Look for the “Import from iPhone” option in context menus throughout macOS to take a picture using your iPhone’s camera, or use an external stand to mount your iPhone in landscape orientation for use in a video call.
• Sidecar is a feature that allows you to use your iPad as a second display to mirror or extend your Mac’s workspace. Assuming the iPad and Mac are near each other and signed into the same Apple Account, the iPad should appear in the “Screen mirroring” panel in your Mac’s Control Center. It is my understanding that those who use VoiceOver exclusively are unlikely to benefit from this feature.
• Universal Control allows you to use one keyboard and mouse across multiple Macs and iPads. It is my understanding that this feature is completely unusable with VoiceOver.

Troubleshooting

While these features generally work reliably, the fact that they are facilitated by complex, ad hoc interconnections means that problems can occur, and thus it may be useful to be aware of some basic troubleshooting steps to try if one or more of these features are not working for you. The following is a general list of troubleshooting steps to try on your devices, in order from least to most involved. After trying each one, try to use the feature at issue again.

• Restart all affected devices.
• Toggle Bluetooth and Wi-Fi off and on again in Settings/System Settings.
• Sign out of your Apple Account on all affected devices in Settings/System Settings > [your name], restart the devices, and then sign back in.
• Forget your Wi-Fi network and then connect to it again. To forget a network on iOS and iPadOS, go to Settings > Wi-Fi, focus on your network and choose the “More info” rotor action, and double-tap “forget this network.” On macOS, go to System Settings > Wi-Fi, click Details, and then click “Forget this network.”
• On iOS and iPadOS, reset network settings by going to Settings > General > Transfer or reset iPhone/iPad > Reset, and double-tapping “Reset network settings.” Note that this will disconnect you from your current Wi-Fi network, reset certificate trust settings to their default “Untrusted” state, and reset your device name to “iPhone” or “iPad.”
• On iOS and iPadOS, reset all settings by going to Settings > General > Transfer or reset iPhone/iPad > Reset, and double-tapping “Reset all settings.” Note that you will need to manually reconfigure many settings after performing this reset.

If you still can’t get a feature to work, check the settings on your wireless router to make sure they align with Apple’s recommended best practices, which you can find in the Apple Support article “Recommended Settings for Wi-Fi Routers and Access Points.” If you’re using a school or business network, contact the network administrator. There may be network-level restrictions that prevent the type of communication needed for Continuity features to work from occurring, or, on managed devices, the use of such features may be restricted by mobile device management (MDM) provisioning.

Conclusion

While you may find some of these features more useful than others, I hope I’ve given you an idea of some of the things your Apple devices can do when they’re near each other and part of the same ecosystem. For me, most of these features aren’t things I use frequently or make me feel like I can’t live without them, but there have been enough times in my years of Apple device usage where I’ve been glad to have them. More information is available in your devices’ respective user guides, Apple Support, and the AppleVis Forum, and if you have any questions or believe any of the information in this guide is inaccurate, sound off in the comments.