All iPads What are chances of iPhone mirroring coming to iPad?

[subjonas]

iPhone Mirroring on Mac is a godsend. I use it all the time. (I only have one complaint* but that’s irrelevant to this thread.) But I use my iPad Mini even more than my Mac (I like to leave my phone charging and just use my Mini at home), so I would love it even more if iPhone Mirroring came to iPad. What are the chances? Is iPadOS set up for that kind of thing?

I suppose iPad Mirroring on Mac would also be nice once in awhile, but not too often for me.

(*My one complaint so far about iPhone Mirroring is that you can’t access Notification Center. I assume that’s because Apple thinks you shouldn’t need to since iPhone notifications appear with the Mac’s notifications. But not all of them do.)

 

[xxFoxtail]

I agree that this feature should have come to the iPad as well. It just makes sense to mirror a touch-first device with another touch device. I regularly use iPhone mirroring on my MacBook for typing in journal entries and checking in on some iPhone only apps.

I think the way Apple probably sees it is that every one of those iPhone apps can run on an iPad (except for Journal for some reason), so it would be a redundant feature. While not the case for the Mac, and this is the only way to get apps like my baby monitor app or my car app viewable on my MacBook.

I'd hope to see the feature next year as I'm considering replacing my MacBook with an iPad at some point down the line (maybe as soon as the next iPad mini comes out), and I really like this feature.

 

[russell_314]

I think the way Apple probably sees it is that every one of those iPhone apps can run on an iPad (except for Journal for some reason), so it would be a redundant feature.

I have to agree with this. There are design differences between macOS and iOS/iPadOS so it makes sense. I think this would be the equivalent of mirroring one iPhone on another.

I can see this being useful for tech support. For example a non techy parent can’t figure it out how to do something on their iPhone so you can do it remotely without having to go there. I can’t think of another use for this. That’s a big issue because Apple makes these decisions based on use cases rather than making a really cool but useless feature to get sales.

 

[subjonas]

I agree that this feature should have come to the iPad as well. It just makes sense to mirror a touch-first device with another touch device. I regularly use iPhone mirroring on my MacBook for typing in journal entries and checking in on some iPhone only apps.

I think the way Apple probably sees it is that every one of those iPhone apps can run on an iPad (except for Journal for some reason), so it would be a redundant feature. While not the case for the Mac, and this is the only way to get apps like my baby monitor app or my car app viewable on my MacBook.

I'd hope to see the feature next year as I'm considering replacing my MacBook with an iPad at some point down the line (maybe as soon as the next iPad mini comes out), and I really like this feature.

If Apple sees iPhone Mirroring on iPad as redundant, they would be wrong 😆. True, almost all iPhone apps are available for iPad, but many of them are only useful on the phone, like apps that don’t sync data between devices (prime example for me is a checkbook app I use on my phone). Also when you start typing on a website form on iPhone, you would often have to start over if you open it on iPad, even if handing it off via Continuity. And then there are apps only available on iPhone like security verification apps (any apps that require a phone number), and checking voicemail. So I hope redundancy is not Apple’s view on this!

Edit-
Also there could be photos and files that are only on your phone that you want to access (from your iPad). You could say Apple expects you to use iCloud to always keep everything synced but that’s not always going to happen for every file and for everyone. Plus if Apple is implementing drag and drop with iPhone Mirroring, then that implies they acknowledge iCloud isn’t always the answer.

 

[subjonas]

I have to agree with this. There are design differences between macOS and iOS/iPadOS so it makes sense. I think this would be the equivalent of mirroring one iPhone on another.

I can see this being useful for tech support. For example a non techy parent can’t figure it out how to do something on their iPhone so you can do it remotely without having to go there. I can’t think of another use for this. That’s a big issue because Apple makes these decisions based on use cases rather than making a really cool but useless feature to get sales.

See post above for my take on redundancy for iPad.

Actually I thought remote iPhone to iPhone was a new feature through FaceTime or something, precisely for the use case of helping a parent with their phone. I believe you can do screen share now through FaceTime, but I thought remote control was coming or is here already.

Edit- I was correct, remote control is a new FaceTime feature with iOS 18

Request or give remote control in a FaceTime call on iPhone

During a FaceTime call on iPhone, remotely control another person’s screen, or allow them to remotely control yours.

support.apple.com

 

[Abazigal]

It would be useful to keep iPhone mirroring active as a slide over app solely for WhatsApp so I don’t have to keep reaching for my phone.

 

[subjonas]

Motivation aside, anyone happen to know of there are any particular technical challenges of bringing this feature to iPadOS, compared to macOS?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

iPhone Mirroring on Mac is a godsend. I use it all the time.

Not to derail the thread but… why?? I truly don’t understand the purpose of this feature, unless maybe you’re a developer.

I set it up - and it works - but what actual purpose does it serve? My phone is right there on the desk…

Truly curious about this.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Not to derail the thread but… why?? I truly don’t understand the purpose of this feature, unless maybe you’re a developer.

I set it up - and it works - but what actual purpose does it serve? My phone is right there on the desk…

Truly curious about this.

You can play Flappy Bird on both your iPad and iPhone, on the same screen! Twice the excitement!

 

[subjonas]

Not to derail the thread but… why?? I truly don’t understand the purpose of this feature, unless maybe you’re a developer.

I set it up - and it works - but what actual purpose does it serve? My phone is right there on the desk…

Truly curious about this.

My phone is often not on my desk. In addition, all the reasons I listed in post#4 regarding why it would be useful on iPad applies to Mac as well. Plus some iOS apps don't exist on Mac or have some advantage over their Mac counterpart (usually a more complicated to navigate website). And I think I saw at least one thread about the usefulness of iPhone Mirroring in these forums. There are probably other use cases listed in there.

Edit- I just realized as I was using the Mirror feature right now, it's also just easier to use my Mac if I'm already working on it, even if my phone is next to me. It takes a second to open the remote app, the mirrored display is about 2x bigger than the phone display (you can set it this way), and I can use a real keyboard.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I suppose if you like it, then Vaya con Dios. I haven’t found any use for it that’s worth the 10 seconds to actually start the mirroring personally.

Of the reasons in your post #4… I’ve seen mention of “security apps” elsewhere too but have no idea what people are referring to there. I have a lot of sites that SMS a two-factor code, but of course that comes to the Mac or iPad just as quickly as the phone… do you have an example app name?

Voicemails, I could see. Apple’s not synced Visual Voicemail via iCloud, and that’s a real limitation. I don’t tend to get a lot of VMs (far less than 1 a day) so it’s not a hassle to just read them on the phone but that is something that could be beneficial for others… though I’d still prefer direct sync a la Messages or Photos vs. mirroring.

“Data that’s only on the phone” - I guess I don’t have any, other than VMs ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and maybe that’s an unconscious choice in that I am on my Mac or iPad so much more than my phone, I wouldn’t USE an app that did that (like your checkbook). Lack of data sync is a “no-go” for me.

But I guess that’s why there are multiple options - to suit multiple people’s needs!

 

[subjonas]

I suppose if you like it, then Vaya con Dios. I haven’t found any use for it that’s worth the 10 seconds to actually start the mirroring personally.

Of the reasons in your post #4… I’ve seen mention of “security apps” elsewhere too but have no idea what people are referring to there. I have a lot of sites that SMS a two-factor code, but of course that comes to the Mac or iPad just as quickly as the phone… do you have an example app name?

Voicemails, I could see. Apple’s not synced Visual Voicemail via iCloud, and that’s a real limitation. I don’t tend to get a lot of VMs (far less than 1 a day) so it’s not a hassle to just read them on the phone but that is something that could be beneficial for others… though I’d still prefer direct sync a la Messages or Photos vs. mirroring.

“Data that’s only on the phone” - I guess I don’t have any, other than VMs ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and maybe that’s an unconscious choice in that I am on my Mac or iPad so much more than my phone, I wouldn’t USE an app that did that (like your checkbook). Lack of data sync is a “no-go” for me.

But I guess that’s why there are multiple options - to suit multiple people’s needs!

Yep, options are good.
FYI out of curiosity I counted and it always takes about 5 seconds to four finger pinch, click on the app icon, and for the app to load and connect (most of that time is waiting to connect). Picking up my phone sitting right next to me (and not plugged in) and opening it can be as little as 2 seconds, but it's also more physical movement to reach for a phone. Granted people (and animals) are extremely lazy and always choose the fastest least energy expenditure especially for repeated actions--these are really tiny differences. Like you said, it probably comes down to personal preference, also maybe how often one needs to access their phone. For me, I tend to need to a lot. But whether I use Mirroring depends on how close my phone is/whether it's plugged in, and what I want to do on my phone and whether a physical keyboard is useful. If my phone is right next to me, sometimes I will grab it, but sometimes I just want to stay on the device I'm currently using.

Security apps usually refers to apps like Authenticator, often used to access work websites. When you go to log into one of these sites, you have to open the app on your phone to verify you are trying to log in. For security reasons the app can only be used on one device (your phone).