Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch are amazing on their own. And they’re even more amazing when used together. Thanks to Continuity, your devices work together seamlessly — unlocking a world of powerful features. Start an email on your Mac and finish it on your iPad. Snap a photo on your iPhone and see it appear on your Mac. Or make a call without reaching for your iPhone.1 That’s the magic of Continuity.
iMessage and SMS texts from your iPhone also show up on your Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch.2 So you can receive and respond to messages on all your devices. And with the Phone app, you can make or take calls directly from your Mac or iPad, so you’ll never miss a call even if your iPhone is buried deep in your backpack.3
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 — and totally seamless. When your Mac and your iPhone or iPad are near each other, they can automatically pass what you’re doing from one device to another.4 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. Find a great recipe while browsing on your Mac? Paste the ingredients right to the grocery list on your iPhone or iPad. You can even copy and paste entire files between two Mac systems.
With Continuity Camera, you can take a photo with your iPhone and instantly see it in an email on your Mac. Or scan a receipt with your iPhone and see it appear in Messages — automatically cropped, straightened, and ready to share. Continuity Camera works with lots of apps, including Notes, Pages, and Keynote. It’s another way iPhone and Mac just click. Continuity Camera also unlocks new capabilities for video calls — like FaceTime and Zoom. You can share a top-down view of your workspace with Desk View. And Center Stage keeps you in the picture if you move around during your call.
iPhone Mirroring lets you see and use your iPhone right from your Mac.5 So even if your phone is getting charged across the room, you can still access all your favorite iPhone apps. Live Activities from your iPhone also appear on your Mac. So when timely events occur — like when your Uber arrives — you don’t have to reach for your phone to stay in the know. You can even drag and drop a video from your Mac to your iPhone, so you can continue editing on the go.
AirDrop makes sharing files between Mac, iPhone, and iPad simple. With a few clicks on your Mac, you can take a file from any folder and use AirDrop to send it from one device to the other. It even works without a Wi-Fi network. It’s perfect for, say, sharing a document with a coworker 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.
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 allows you to extend your workspace by using your iPad as a second Mac display. That means you can 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 display the same content — making it perfect for sharing exactly what you see with others. Sidecar brings the ease and precision of Apple Pencil to your favorite creative Mac apps as well. Use Apple Pencil to create in Adobe InDesign, edit photos in Affinity Photo 2, or generate 3D models in Maxon 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. And thanks to Universal Control, you can control both your Mac and your iPad with a single keyboard and mouse or trackpad, moving your cursor fluidly between them.
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 changes live on your Mac. And Continuity Sketch lets you create a sketch on your iPad or iPhone that can be easily inserted into any document on your Mac.
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.6 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.
If you already have an iPhone, setting up your Mac is a snap. Just bring your iPhone near your Mac, and Setup Assistant signs you in to your Wi-Fi network and Apple Account. Your files, photos, messages, passwords, and more are transferred from iCloud right to your new Mac. Don’t have an iPhone? No problem. With Migration Assistant, setting up a new Mac is still quick and easy — even if you’re migrating from Windows.
