iPad Everything you wanted to know about using Sidecar on iPad

[BhaveshUK]

Good evening everyone!,

I hope you are staying safe and well.

I have created a YouTube video and transcript about how you can use your iPad as a second monitor for your Mac using Sidecar. Admittedly, I'm feeling a little discouraged with the video and debating whether I'll be continuing my YouTube channel, but I still wanted to share this video because I hope it will help others get the most out of their iPad.

Everything you need to know about using iPad as a second monitor for your Mac

Sidecar is a free, native feature from Apple designed to let you use your iPad as a secondary display for your Mac. Using Sidecar has empowered my creative workflows and made owning the iPad and Mac a more valuable proposition. This feature is incredibly easy to use, and today I want to walk through how to use Sidecar to support your workflows.

Sidecar requirements
Sidecar has a set of minimum requirements on both Mac and iPad that need to be met for the feature to work. Your Mac must be running macOS Catalina or later, and your iPad will require iPadOS 13 or later. Both devices need to be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID. This account must also be using two-factor authentication for security reasons. Finally, your hardware needs to be (iirc) mid-2015 for Sidecar to work.

You have two options when enabling Sidecar. You can use a wired connection, which I have found preferable, or a wireless connection. Connect your iPad to the Mac using a USB-C cable to create a wired connection. This has the advantage of charging your iPad at the same time and, from my experience, has resulted in less lag or dropped connection when using Sidecar.

If you opt for a wireless connection, Sidecar requires both devices to be within 10 meters of each other, with _Handoff_ enabled in _System Preferences_ on the Mac. You will require Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity to be turned on.

I feel it’s worth mentioning that you don’t need to own the iPad Pro for the Sidecar feature to work. Sidecar is also available on the regular iPad, iPad Mini and iPad Air.

Enabling Sidecar
If your Mac is running macOS Big Sur or later, connecting your iPad to the Mac has never been simpler. Move your pointer to the Apple menu bar at the top of your Mac and click the _Control Centre_ button in the top-right corner. In _Control Centre_, hover over the _Display_ section and a right arrow will appear in the corner. Click the right arrow. There will be an option called “Connect to” and underneath your iPad will appear if Sidecar is functional. Click your iPad’s name in the options to enable Sidecar. If you are using macOS Catalina, you will instead need to search for the _Airplay_ icon in the Apple menu bar.

A second option for enabling Sidecar is to move your pointer onto the window you’d like to use on the iPad screen. Click and hold the green maximise button for a secondary menu to appear. You will see an option called “Move to iPad.” Click this option to activate Sidecar, and the Mac window will automatically shift onto the iPad screen. This is the method I prefer to use for activating Sidecar.

To disable Sidecar, you will need to move your Pointer to the Apple menu bar and go to the _Display_ menu in _Control Centre_. Click the blue iPad icon in the _Display_ section to disable Sidecar. You can also directly disconnect from the iPad screen using the _Disconnect_ button at the bottom of the Sidebar.

Display options
The default setting that is enabled with Sidecar is for your iPad to act as an extension of your Mac desktop. This gives you more real estate to be productive by organising your apps across two screens. I use this option almost all the time to help me be more creative. For example, I will use the iMac screen to create a client website, whilst the iPad screen contains the reference material I need to refer to. Another example is when I am using Affinity Designer to create illustrations. I will move the Affinity Designer window onto the iPad screen and use Apple Pencil to draw.

However, Sidecar has a second option to mirror the windows currently open on your Mac. This means that how everything appears on your Mac’s screen is how it will appear on the iPad screen. I have found this useful when sharing content I have produced with someone in my immediate vicinity. Equally, because I have an iMac rather than a MacBook, sometimes I choose to mirror my iMac screen onto the iPad. This allows me to navigate my Mac using the Apple Pencil whilst in bed or sitting cross-legged on the floor.

To switch between both modes, you must navigate to the “Connect to” section in the _Display_ area of _Control Centre_. Here you will see the options called “Mirror Built-In Retina Display” and “Use As Separate Display.” Click your preference to switch modes.

You will see two other options below these called “Hide Sidebar” and “Show Touch Bar” which affect how Sidecar displays on your iPad screen. You can enable or disable these options as you wish. I will reference the advantages for both features in a little while.

Basic settings
With Sidecar active and using the iPad as a separate display, you can now move windows between both screens. To move a window from your Mac’s screen onto the iPad, use your pointer to drag the window to the edge of the screen, and the pointer will appear on the iPad. Release your pointer and the window will settle on the iPad screen. The same system applies when moving a window from the iPad screen back onto your Mac screen.

To make this process as seamless as possible, I recommend going into the _System Preferences_ app on your Mac and clicking the _Displays_ option. You should see your Mac and iPad screen side-by-side. If you click and hold your pointer on the iPad screen displayed, you can move the orientation left, right, up or down to best reflect your setup.

Sidebar
The Sidebar only appears on the iPad screen when enabled in the Sidecar options. This gives you access to commonly used Mac controls directly on your iPad screen. You can interact with these buttons using your finger or Apple Pencil. If you double tap one of the buttons, it will lock into place, and you can disable the lock by double tapping the button once more. From top-to-bottom, the buttons presented on the Sidebar are:

- Menu bar. Displays or hides the Apple menu bar.
- Dock. Displays or hides your Mac dock.
- Command. Activate the Command key.
- Option. Activate the Option key.
- Control. Activate the Control key.
- Shift. Activate the Shift key.
- Undo. Undoes your last action.
- Onscreen keyboard. Displays or hides the iPad virtual keyboard.
- Disconnect. Disables Sidecar.

Touch Bar
Like the Sidebar, the Touch Bar only appears on the iPad screen when enabled in the Sidecar options. Many apps on your Mac will have implemented Touch Bar controls for common actions in that app. This is true even if your Mac doesn’t have a Touch Bar on its keyboard. You can interact with these controls using your finger or Apple Pencil.

Interacting with the iPad screen
One thing that separates the iPad from a traditional secondary monitor is support for multitouch gestures. This enables you to step away from the trackpad and keyboard and interact with your Mac apps using your fingers or Apple Pencil. These are the gestures currently supported in Sidecar:

- Scroll. Swipe using two fingers.
- Click. Tap with the Apple Pencil.
- Select. Drag using the Apple Pencil.
- Copy. Pinch in using three fingers.
- Cut. Pinch in using three fingers twice.
- Paste. Pinch out using three fingers.
- Undo. Swipe left or double-tap using three fingers.
- Redo. Swipe right using three fingers.

One of the biggest uses I’ve found as a designer is drawing illustrations and editing photos using the desktop versions of the Affinity suite alongside Apple Pencil. This has been invaluable in my workflow. You can enhance the Apple Pencil even further by going into _System Preferences_ on the Mac and entering the _Displays_ tab. _Click Display Settings_ and select your iPad’s name. Click the option “Enable double tap on Apple Pencil” if it is not currently activated. With this option selected, you can perform customisable actions in certain Mac apps by double tapping the side of your Apple Pencil (2nd generation.)

Peripherals
Sidecar allows you to use your Mac trackpad and keyboard to interact with the Mac and iPad screens. You can also use the iPad Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard to type directly within your Mac applications. This is incredibly useful when I step away from my iMac to interact with my Mac apps from the iPad. However, I haven’t found a way to make the iPad Magic Keyboard’s trackpad function as the Mac’s pointer, which is a missed opportunity in my opinion.

Accessing iPad apps
Finally, there will be moments when using your iPad as a secondary monitor where you will want to access the apps on your iPad. To achieve this, swipe up from the bottom of the tablet to show the iPad’s dock. Select an app from the iPad’s dock, or alternatively, swipe up the full way to return to the iPad Home Screen. This suspends your Sidecar session until you are ready to return to it. To return to using Sidecar, open your iPad’s dock and select the Sidecar icon, which only appears when the feature is running.

 

[Digitalguy]

I do use my multiple iPads (and Android tablets) as second screens. Sidecar has some nice advantages over third party solutions (free, well integrated) but also quite a few limitations (no touch screen, no iPad trackpad) compared to paid solutions. I have done a comparison of Sidecar vs the main competitors in another post if anyone is interested (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/sidecar-on-macos-12-3-two-ipads-at-once.2340651/post-31012875)

If you have more than one iPad, having multiple solutions allows you to use them at the same time....

 

[BotchQue]

Thank you, both!

@BhaveshUK, you are correct about System Requirements but missing one thing: my iMac had Catalina and even Big Sur, BUT the hardware needed to be (iirc) mid-2015; my iMac is 2014 and Sidecar won't work on it.

@Digitalguy, I believe i've read that while using a finger with Touchscreen doesn't work, the Apple Pencil does. That's why I purchased an iPad Pro last year, to use Sidecar and have the dream photo editing setup: do selections with the APencil on the iPad, and correct overall color/brightness on the main screen.

I got my Mac Studio a few weeks ago, and the monitor should be here Monday. I'll report back if I can get it all to work together. Great post, Bhavesh!

 

[phrehdd]

Good evening everyone!,

I hope you are staying safe and well.

I have created a YouTube video and transcript about how you can use your iPad as a second monitor for your Mac using Sidecar. Admittedly, I'm feeling a little discouraged with the video and debating whether I'll be continuing my YouTube channel, but I still wanted to share this video because I hope it will help others get the most out of their iPad.

Everything you need to know about using iPad as a second monitor for your Mac

Sidecar is a free, native feature from Apple designed to let you use your iPad as a secondary display for your Mac. Using Sidecar has empowered my creative workflows and made owning the iPad and Mac a more valuable proposition. This feature is incredibly easy to use, and today I want to walk through how to use Sidecar to support your workflows.

Sidecar requirements
Sidecar has a set of minimum requirements on both Mac and iPad that need to be met for the feature to work. Your Mac must be running macOS Catalina or later, and your iPad will require iPadOS 13 or later. Both devices need to be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID. This account must also be using two-factor authentication for security reasons.

You have two options when enabling Sidecar. You can use a wired connection, which I have found preferable, or a wireless connection. Connect your iPad to the Mac using a USB-C cable to create a wired connection. This has the advantage of charging your iPad at the same time and, from my experience, has resulted in less lag or dropped connection when using Sidecar.

If you opt for a wireless connection, Sidecar requires both devices to be within 10 meters of each other, with _Handoff_ enabled in _System Preferences_ on the Mac. You will require Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity to be turned on.

I feel it’s worth mentioning that you don’t need to own the iPad Pro for the Sidecar feature to work. Sidecar is also available on the regular iPad, iPad Mini and iPad Air.

Enabling Sidecar
If your Mac is running macOS Big Sur or later, connecting your iPad to the Mac has never been simpler. Move your pointer to the Apple menu bar at the top of your Mac and click the _Control Centre_ button in the top-right corner. In _Control Centre_, hover over the _Display_ section and a right arrow will appear in the corner. Click the right arrow. There will be an option called “Connect to” and underneath your iPad will appear if Sidecar is functional. Click your iPad’s name in the options to enable Sidecar. If you are using macOS Catalina, you will instead need to search for the _Airplay_ icon in the Apple menu bar.

A second option for enabling Sidecar is to move your pointer onto the window you’d like to use on the iPad screen. Click and hold the green maximise button for a secondary menu to appear. You will see an option called “Move to iPad.” Click this option to activate Sidecar, and the Mac window will automatically shift onto the iPad screen. This is the method I prefer to use for activating Sidecar.

To disable Sidecar, you will need to move your Pointer to the Apple menu bar and go to the _Display_ menu in _Control Centre_. Click the blue iPad icon in the _Display_ section to disable Sidecar. You can also directly disconnect from the iPad screen using the _Disconnect_ button at the bottom of the Sidebar.

Display options
The default setting that is enabled with Sidecar is for your iPad to act as an extension of your Mac desktop. This gives you more real estate to be productive by organising your apps across two screens. I use this option almost all the time to help me be more creative. For example, I will use the iMac screen to create a client website, whilst the iPad screen contains the reference material I need to refer to. Another example is when I am using Affinity Designer to create illustrations. I will move the Affinity Designer window onto the iPad screen and use Apple Pencil to draw.

However, Sidecar has a second option to mirror the windows currently open on your Mac. This means that how everything appears on your Mac’s screen is how it will appear on the iPad screen. I have found this useful when sharing content I have produced with someone in my immediate vicinity. Equally, because I have an iMac rather than a MacBook, sometimes I choose to mirror my iMac screen onto the iPad. This allows me to navigate my Mac using the Apple Pencil whilst in bed or sitting cross-legged on the floor.

To switch between both modes, you must navigate to the “Connect to” section in the _Display_ area of _Control Centre_. Here you will see the options called “Mirror Built-In Retina Display” and “Use As Separate Display.” Click your preference to switch modes.

You will see two other options below these called “Hide Sidebar” and “Show Touch Bar” which affect how Sidecar displays on your iPad screen. You can enable or disable these options as you wish. I will reference the advantages for both features in a little while.

Basic settings
With Sidecar active and using the iPad as a separate display, you can now move windows between both screens. To move a window from your Mac’s screen onto the iPad, use your pointer to drag the window to the edge of the screen, and the pointer will appear on the iPad. Release your pointer and the window will settle on the iPad screen. The same system applies when moving a window from the iPad screen back onto your Mac screen.

To make this process as seamless as possible, I recommend going into the _System Preferences_ app on your Mac and clicking the _Displays_ option. You should see your Mac and iPad screen side-by-side. If you click and hold your pointer on the iPad screen displayed, you can move the orientation left, right, up or down to best reflect your setup.

Sidebar
The Sidebar only appears on the iPad screen when enabled in the Sidecar options. This gives you access to commonly used Mac controls directly on your iPad screen. You can interact with these buttons using your finger or Apple Pencil. If you double tap one of the buttons, it will lock into place, and you can disable the lock by double tapping the button once more. From top-to-bottom, the buttons presented on the Sidebar are:

- Menu bar. Displays or hides the Apple menu bar.
- Dock. Displays or hides your Mac dock.
- Command. Activate the Command key.
- Option. Activate the Option key.
- Control. Activate the Control key.
- Shift. Activate the Shift key.
- Undo. Undoes your last action.
- Onscreen keyboard. Displays or hides the iPad virtual keyboard.
- Disconnect. Disables Sidecar.

Touch Bar
Like the Sidebar, the Touch Bar only appears on the iPad screen when enabled in the Sidecar options. Many apps on your Mac will have implemented Touch Bar controls for common actions in that app. This is true even if your Mac doesn’t have a Touch Bar on its keyboard. You can interact with these controls using your finger or Apple Pencil.

Interacting with the iPad screen
One thing that separates the iPad from a traditional secondary monitor is support for multitouch gestures. This enables you to step away from the trackpad and keyboard and interact with your Mac apps using your fingers or Apple Pencil. These are the gestures currently supported in Sidecar:

- Scroll. Swipe using two fingers.
- Click. Tap with the Apple Pencil.
- Select. Drag using the Apple Pencil.
- Copy. Pinch in using three fingers.
- Cut. Pinch in using three fingers twice.
- Paste. Pinch out using three fingers.
- Undo. Swipe left or double-tap using three fingers.
- Redo. Swipe right using three fingers.

One of the biggest uses I’ve found as a designer is drawing illustrations and editing photos using the desktop versions of the Affinity suite alongside Apple Pencil. This has been invaluable in my workflow. You can enhance the Apple Pencil even further by going into _System Preferences_ on the Mac and entering the _Displays_ tab. _Click Display Settings_ and select your iPad’s name. Click the option “Enable double tap on Apple Pencil” if it is not currently activated. With this option selected, you can perform customisable actions in certain Mac apps by double tapping the side of your Apple Pencil (2nd generation.)

Peripherals
Sidecar allows you to use your Mac trackpad and keyboard to interact with the Mac and iPad screens. You can also use the iPad Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard to type directly within your Mac applications. This is incredibly useful when I step away from my iMac to interact with my Mac apps from the iPad. However, I haven’t found a way to make the iPad Magic Keyboard’s trackpad function as the Mac’s pointer, which is a missed opportunity in my opinion.

Accessing iPad apps
Finally, there will be moments when using your iPad as a secondary monitor where you will want to access the apps on your iPad. To achieve this, swipe up from the bottom of the tablet to show the iPad’s dock. Select an app from the iPad’s dock, or alternatively, swipe up the full way to return to the iPad Home Screen. This suspends your Sidecar session until you are ready to return to it. To return to using Sidecar, open your iPad’s dock and select the Sidecar icon, which only appears when the feature is running.

There are interesting third party items such as Luna from Astropad. Might want to check it out.

 

[BhaveshUK]

Thank you, both!
@BhaveshUK, you are correct about System Requirements but missing one thing: my iMac had Catalina and even Big Sur, BUT the hardware needed to be (iirc) mid-2015; my iMac is 2014 and Sidecar won't work on it.
@Digitalguy, I believe i've read that while using a finger with Touchscreen doesn't work, the Apple Pencil does. That's why I purchased an iPad Pro last year, to use Sidecar and have the dream photo editing setup: do selections with the APencil on the iPad, and correct overall color/brightness on the main screen.
I got my Mac Studio a few weeks ago, and the monitor should be here Monday. I'll report back if I can get it all to work together. Great post, Bhavesh!

Thank you for the insight! I'll add that into my original post as an edit so the information is further accurate ☺️

You're right that the Apple Pencil acts as the "Click" button when in Sidecar. It has been very useful for my work. I would note that there is a notable disadvantage that I only recognised once I began using it daily in my workflow. There is no hover with the Apple Pencil - for example, when in Affinity Designer I have to guess the brush size because I cannot see the shape/ size by hovering as you would with a traditional mouse/ trackpad/ Wacom stylus. Despite that, I love using the feature and the iPad Pro replaced my need for a drawing tablet.

Amazing you have the Mac Studio ? Please do report back on how you're getting on with your new set up. I'd love to hear about your experience ?

 

[BhaveshUK]

I do use my multiple iPads (and Android tablets) as second screens. Sidecar has some nice advantages over third party solutions (free, well integrated) but also quite a few limitations (no touch screen, no iPad trackpad) compared to paid solutions. I have done a comparison of Sidecar vs the main competitors in another post if anyone is interested (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/sidecar-on-macos-12-3-two-ipads-at-once.2340651/post-31012875)

If you have more than one iPad, having multiple solutions allows you to use them at the same time....

Thank you for linking your side by side comparison. This is going to be very useful for everyone.

I like to keep my needs as small as possible. I have one iMac and one iPad hence why Sidecar works great for me. But I am definitely interested in trialing Luna and Duet as @phrehdd and yourself have mentioned. Out of these three solutions which one do you find yourself using the most regularly and why?

 

[Digitalguy]

Thank you for linking your side by side comparison. This is going to be very useful for everyone.

I like to keep my needs as small as possible. I have one iMac and one iPad hence why Sidecar works great for me. But I am definitely interested in trialing Luna and Duet as @phrehdd and yourself have mentioned. Out of these three solutions which one do you find yourself using the most regularly and why?

Sidecar is the one I use the least.
I use duet most of the time, because:
- it works with Windows (and even Android)
- it works with older Macs like my 2013 air
- it supports the magic keyboard trackpad
The only reason to use sidecar for me is for older iPads like the Gen 1 pro, which have higher pencil latency with duet, but not with Sidecar or Luna. Luna it's overall better than Sidecar but it takes longer to connect, so if I need to use the second screen with pencil in a pinch from my M1 Mac, then I use sidecar....

 

[elmarjazz]

Is there a way to use the iPad Pro thunderbolt connection with a Mac Mini and Sidecar as the only display?

 

[Digitalguy]

Is there a way to use the iPad Pro thunderbolt connection with a Mac Mini and Sidecar as the only display?

Yes, but not the way you would like to (plug an iPad and it becomes a screen...). The easiest way IMO is to use remote desktop to login and launch sidecar (you can create a shortcut to launch sidecar but it's so quick from the control center that it probably makes little difference...)
Mind you if you want to use the magic keyboard sidecar does not support the trackpad, so a third party solution would work better in this case... Also you don't need to use a cable if your wifi is on.

 

[BhaveshUK]

Is there a way to use the iPad Pro thunderbolt connection with a Mac Mini and Sidecar as the only display?

As @Digitalguy has expressed, Sidecar isn't going to achieve the solution you're looking for.

I wanted to take time to research how we might get to the solution you want. Having a Mac mini and then using the iPad Pro as the only display. It seems possible but I can't assure you about the results. The most promising two I've found is using Duet Display (https://www.duetdisplay.com/help-center/can-i-use-duet-as-the-only-display-for-my-mac) or Luna Display (https://astropad.com/headless-mode/).

YouTuber Tausif Hussain did a great video on their experience with Luna Display -

Hope this all helps you, and please reach out if you have any other questions or want more support ☺️

 

[Digitalguy]

As @Digitalguy has expressed, Sidecar isn't going to achieve the solution you're looking for.

I wanted to take time to research how we might get to the solution you want. Having a Mac mini and then using the iPad Pro as the only display. It seems possible but I can't assure you about the results. The most promising two I've found is using Duet Display (https://www.duetdisplay.com/help-center/can-i-use-duet-as-the-only-display-for-my-mac) or Luna Display (https://astropad.com/headless-mode/).

YouTuber Tausif Hussain did a great video on their experience with Luna Display -

Hope this all helps you, and please reach out if you have any other questions or want more support ☺️

Luna is the best solution for this, as it has a "headless" mode, but it's not free, so it's a matter of money vs convenience

 

[elmarjazz]

Thanks for the input. Luna Display seems to be the way to go, but the price... [seems there has been a substantial increase from what most folks thought was on the high side even at $70]. It has its use, but for me, it isn’t worth the expense.

I did find this video that ‘goes native’ and has a bit of a workaround. I haven't got the Mac mini which is the reason I'm interested in this, so don't know if it works, or if the iPad will become a useful touch screen for MacOS either as the main or a secondary screen.

 

[Ensar]

does the excessive ram usage (after a period of time) remain as a problem?
i was planning to buy ipad 9 and use sidecar with macbook air m1 but i have read some posts talking about excessive ram usage, something like memory leak.

 

[Digitalguy]

does the excessive ram usage (after a period of time) remain as a problem?
i was planning to buy ipad 9 and use sidecar with macbook air m1 but i have read some posts talking about excessive ram usage, something like memory leak.

Memory leaks happen everywhere, but it's more of an issue of desktop than on mobile...
When you do not turn a device off for several days or even weeks RAM consumption will increase, going into swap for desktop and making it slower.
On mobile the OS will periodically clean apps from RAM to keep some RAM free and to avoid an impact of battery life. So at some point apps will be ejected from RAM even if you don't use them. This is normal, as mobile devices are not turned off as often as desktops (and when they are you lose apps in RAM anyway...)
What is your worry? Memory leak is not going to affect the device, since it does not swap to disk and wear it...

 

[Ensar]

Memory leaks happen everywhere, but it's more of an issue of desktop than on mobile...
When you do not turn a device off for several days or even weeks RAM consumption will increase, going into swap for desktop and making it slower.
On mobile the OS will periodically clean apps from RAM to keep some RAM free and to avoid an impact of battery life. So at some point apps will be ejected from RAM even if you don't use them. This is normal, as mobile devices are not turned off as often as desktops (and when they are you lose apps in RAM anyway...)
What is your worry? Memory leak is not going to affect the device, since it does not swap to disk and wear it...

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate it.

You asked what is my worry: I use base model of macbook air and it has 8 GB RAM. If sidecar needs huge amount of RAM after one or two hours, i assume it would slow down the system or push other apps to use swap, if not the sidecar itself. That is what i wanted to learn, the amount of RAM macbook would use in (let's say) two hours of sidecar session.

 

[Digitalguy]

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate it.

You asked what is my worry: I use base model of macbook air and it has 8 GB RAM. If sidecar needs huge amount of RAM after one or two hours, i assume it would slow down the system or push other apps to use swap, if not the sidecar itself. That is what i wanted to learn, the amount of RAM macbook would use in (let's say) two hours of sidecar session.

Oh, now I understand. I haven't tested long enough to notice any significant leak. Honestly I doubt it would leak in 2 hours. To be honest even 4-5 hours should make no difference. And sidecar is native. Programs that tend to leak are mainly Rosetta ones. Just turn off your Mac every night and you'll be fine. Leaving it on for days is what causes leaks, not hours...

 

[Novius89]

Found this thread with the search option.

For 1,5 year sidecar does not work wireless anymore.
It connects and I can use it for a little bit and then it freezes, gives me the poor connection pop up and then just stops altogether.

On a cable it works good if I force the wired connection. (Disable Bluetooth and WiFi).
But ofcourse I want it to work wireless.

I put off automatic screen lock and password but that doesn’t have an effect at all.

Nothing changed with my home network.

It worked on Big Sur for a moment, but then it stopped. On Monterey it never worked good and now I hoped this was fixed in Ventura but it isn’t.

Somebody has some suggestions what I can do or try?

 

[BhaveshUK]

Found this thread with the search option.

For 1,5 year sidecar does not work wireless anymore.
It connects and I can use it for a little bit and then it freezes, gives me the poor connection pop up and then just stops altogether.

On a cable it works good if I force the wired connection. (Disable Bluetooth and WiFi).
But ofcourse I want it to work wireless.

I put off automatic screen lock and password but that doesn’t have an effect at all.

Nothing changed with my home network.

It worked on Big Sur for a moment, but then it stopped. On Monterey it never worked good and now I hoped this was fixed in Ventura but it isn’t.

Somebody has some suggestions what I can do or try?

I prefer the wired connection so only use wireless connection on rare occasions now. Nevertheless, it’s very strange you are struggling to connect for long durations. Can you tell us a little bit more about your setup?

In addition, for a wired connection you shouldn’t need to turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. I recommend turning on wireless Sidecar connection first and then connecting your USB-C cable between devices — this causes Sidecar to change into wired connection.

Some fixes you might try off the top of my head:

• Make sure you’re signed into same Apple ID on both devices.
• Keep both devices updated to the latest version.
• Unlock your iPad before creating a Sidecar connection.
• Check Handoff is enabled.
• Turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off on both devices. Turn them on again after 30 seconds.
• Keep both devices side-by-side.
• Turn off and turn on both devices. For iPad, you can do this by holding down the lock and volume button.

 

[Novius89]

Thanks!

Macbook pro m1 2020
Ipad 9,7" 2018

Home router is the same t-mobile device for 3 years, nothing changed there except some firmware updates.

- apple ID is the same
- All devices are updated
- Unlocked ipad
- handoff is enabled
- Will try this
- always side by side for sidecar
- tried rebooting everything in various orders

Its weird because when i enable sidecar wireless and then connect the cable it will keep saying "poor connection" even after 30 minutes.
When i disable BT and Wifi on the ipad, it connects with the wire, but not always automatic, sometimes i need to exit sidecar and establish the connection again.

I googled this problem and internet is full of users where it does not work properly. I've read topics where even the wired connection won't work.

It's not really something that i will use constantly and my solution with the cable is fine whenever i want to use it.
It just bugs me because it is an awesome feature and normally everything apple just works with me, except this.

Maybe the router firmware update is the culprit.
Maybe my ipad is too old., it supports it, but its an older model.
Maybe if i start clean with everything (ipad, macbook) and set up my router from scratch it will work how it is supposed to, but sidecar is not THAT important for me to go through all that hassle.

 

[BhaveshUK]

Thanks!

Macbook pro m1 2020
Ipad 9,7" 2018

Home router is the same t-mobile device for 3 years, nothing changed there except some firmware updates.

- apple ID is the same
- All devices are updated
- Unlocked ipad
- handoff is enabled
- Will try this
- always side by side for sidecar
- tried rebooting everything in various orders

Its weird because when i enable sidecar wireless and then connect the cable it will keep saying "poor connection" even after 30 minutes.
When i disable BT and Wifi on the ipad, it connects with the wire, but not always automatic, sometimes i need to exit sidecar and establish the connection again.

I googled this problem and internet is full of users where it does not work properly. I've read topics where even the wired connection won't work.

It's not really something that i will use constantly and my solution with the cable is fine whenever i want to use it.
It just bugs me because it is an awesome feature and normally everything apple just works with me, except this.

Maybe the router firmware update is the culprit.
Maybe my ipad is too old., it supports it, but its an older model.
Maybe if i start clean with everything (ipad, macbook) and set up my router from scratch it will work how it is supposed to, but sidecar is not THAT important for me to go through all that hassle.

Appreciate you taking the time to share more detail around your set up. I don't think the iPad being from 2018 should affect anything. You're also on a recent M1 MacBook device. Nevertheless, I wouldn't rule anything out at this stage.

My hunch is this could be an issue with your router's Wi-Fi speeds or signal strength in the room you're using Sidecar in. I had this issue before where the WiFi in some rooms was incredibly weak and affected features such as Handover.

I'd recommend testing this out so we can begin pinpointing where the issue is coming from. Are you able to go to a location with very strong Wi-Fi (coffee stores, library, etc.) to see if Sidecar works better in those locations for you? We can strongly suggest the Wi-Fi router is the culprit if it does work more effectively. If it doesn't make any difference, I'd recommend going to the Apple Store as a second step to see if there's a connectivity issue with either of your devices.

 

[phrehdd]

Take a look at Astropad's LUNA option. Best to check it out via reviews on Youtube. Might save you some headaches.

 

[Digitalguy]

Take a look at Astropad's LUNA option. Best to check it out via reviews on Youtube. Might save you some headaches.

As I wrote above, I made a detailed comparison between Sidecar, Luna and Duet Pro (and linked the link above)

 

[Novius89]

The public WiFi in coffeeshops etcetera here in my city in the Netherlands is not reliable.

I tested this at my workplace 2 days ago. It worked better than at home. No disconnect but it was really laggy.

I got the feeling something is wrong with my WiFi connection at home (like you said).
I turned notifications off in homekit some time ago, but checking the history: every afternoon our WiFi security camera craps out until the evening. “Camera is offline-Camera is online” with intervals about 30 minutes/ 1 hour.

I will reset the t-mobile router, but his thing is running non stop for about 3 years. If it still craps out I will contact t-mobile for another unit.

Thanks guys for the efforts, I will report back after a week to tell if it worked or not. 😊

 

[BhaveshUK]

The public WiFi in coffeeshops etcetera here in my city in the Netherlands is not reliable.

I tested this at my workplace 2 days ago. It worked better than at home. No disconnect but it was really laggy.

I got the feeling something is wrong with my WiFi connection at home (like you said).
I turned notifications off in homekit some time ago, but checking the history: every afternoon our WiFi security camera craps out until the evening. “Camera is offline-Camera is online” with intervals about 30 minutes/ 1 hour.

I will reset the t-mobile router, but his thing is running non stop for about 3 years. If it still craps out I will contact t-mobile for another unit.

Thanks guys for the efforts, I will report back after a week to tell if it worked or not. 😊

Looking forward to hearing back in a week or so.

One suggestion if you do contact T-Mobile that may or may not be relevant. If you’ve had this router for 3-years, it’s likely you’re paying too much for your current plan. When you talk on the phone, see whether you could get them to reduce the price on your current plan for the same speeds, or alternatively, give you a faster Wi-Fi speed for your current pricing.

 

[subjonas]

There is no hover with the Apple Pencil

There is hover now and I heard it even works in Sidecar! But I think it really only works with the newest M2 iPad Pros, and the feature might still be in beta. I saw a video of someone on Reddit using it on an M1 iPad, but it didn’t seem to work well. They had to hold the tip super close to the screen, like a couple mm, whereas I believe on an M2 one can hold it up to 12mm away.