Apple supports this already on the ipad by making the ipad another screen for your mac (I think it’s called sidecar?) and still use pencil, mouse, keyboard etc.
It's frustrating that Apple doesn't have their own Screen Sharing (VNC) application on the iPhone/iPad, if even just to provide a basic screen-sharing experience. They have something builtin to FaceTime (that I've never tried) as a kind of remote-support app.
RealVNC did not work from iOS/iPadOS to macOS Golden Gate when I tried it relatively recently, although it may have been updated since. It's possible Apple changed something in their version of VNC's auth.
I used to recommend Screens (v4) when it was flat licensed, as it seemed to work well and was well designed in dealing with smaller screens and input differences. Now (v5) it's $5/month $30/year $200/lifetime, which I can't really justify for my casual use case.
> It's frustrating that Apple doesn't have their own Screen Sharing (VNC) application on the iPhone/iPad
At this point it almost feels intentional on Apple's part for not having a first party app, as if having one would be a tacit admission that iPads/iPhones are lesser than actual computers (although the logic does break down since they allow it on Macs).
IIRC they do support weird versions of screen sharing and remote control when on a Facetime call which is convoluted to say the least.
Sidecar streams the mac display to the ipad, but it has to be initiated and controlled from the mac.
In contrast, what I wanted (what this app does!) is to view and control my mac from my handheld device, initiated from the handheld device.
These apps all look similar and it makes it very difficult to search:
• Mac screen --> Handheld, as extended display = Sidecar
Use-case: I use my ipad as additional window space for the mac.
• Mac screen --> Handheld, as duplicate display = Sill, Sunshine+Moonlight
Use-case: I leave my desktop and continue watching what I had playing on it from my kitchen ipad.
• Handheld screen --> Mac = Airplay
Use-case: I play some media from my iphone on the mac screen.
• iPhone screen --> Mac, controlled from Mac = iPhone Mirroring
Use-case: I use my iphone-only apps from my mac, wirelessly
• iPad controls --> Mac, controlled from Mac = Universal Controls
Use-case: I use my ipad with my mac mouse+keyboard
Usually, trying to search for this type of app obnoxiously returns results for Airplay, and if you manage to filter it out, it's Sidecar — but it's not what I want!
Brilliant! So much faster and seamless than VNC. Already helped me two times today.
This is the first time I discover an app through a Youtube video recommendation. I was watching The Rest Is Science when this 1 minute video appeared on the right side with 230k views about a macOS app?? It got me curious for sure.
Claude got really good at making demo videos with Hyperframes apparently. Just did my own this week for Cling (https://lowtechguys.com/cling) and Clop (https://lowtechguys.com/clop) and users are already appreciating that they can discover app features through easy to digest video snippets.
Most people don't read the website copy at all unfortunately so I had to adapt. But I would never have the patience to do that in After Effects.
Pretty sure you’re interacting with a spammer. Look at their posts, they all have this robotic ad-reading discourse and link back to one of their websites.
Alternatively, they have had multiple past submissions on personal projects that have done well on HN, often (but not always) interact, and have English as a second or third language.
That doesn’t justify promoting their own websites in almost every comment. I interact with many people who don’t have English as their first language and none of them sound like an ad. Bot or not, linking to yourself every time you interact is spammer behaviour.
Is sharing now the new spamming? If I just say Cling people will have no idea what I mean. If I leave a link, people either will click and find something useful, or at least get some context on what I'm talking about or move along.
I get that we have to be skeptical nowadays with all the bots, but I would never have guessed that my day to day writing will be taken as robotic ad-reading.
No, of course not, that is a pretty bad faith interpretation of what I wrote. Making every post about one’s own things is spammer behaviour, though, and explicitly against the rules.
> I would never have guessed that my day to day writing will be taken as robotic ad-reading.
It did to me, and I deal with spam frequently. If it had just been the writing style I wouldn’t have said anything, it was the links always there that triggered alarm bells.
Got it. No worries. Have you ever had a friend at your place tell you in passing about a problem they recurrently have, and you have just the right tool to help them? And you can't help yourself and have to tell them about it?
That is my thinking on sharing these links to my work. I did something that helps me, and I want to see it helping others. Most of it is free.
There are no shop fronts for my work, no targeted ads, there are people that could benefit from it and me talking about it is one of the only ways to do that.
I myself found about Hyperframes from a comment like this, being in awe of what can be achieved with careful prompts and the right tooling. I struggled for years in DaVinci Resolve making stupidly high effort videos that looked amateurish and didn't convey the information I had in my head. I thought others might want to see that.
I get how seeing links in irrelevant comments can raise spam alarm bells, I thought I'm being useful and tried not to add links so often. But memory can be deceiving.
Fair. I believe you that you’re trying to be helpful and apologise for saying I was “pretty sure” you were a spammer.
I just realised I have actually paid for one of your apps (Lunar). I haven’t used it in a few years since it messed up the config on a monitor that I connected to which wasn’t mine, but I understand you have to be hacky with the app due to its nature and I believe you care to make it good.
Thanks for the Lunar purchase! Unfortunately the config messing up is done by the monitors themselves. All Lunar does is send standard DDC brightness, volume and contrast set commands, but some monitor firmwares change their presets and calibration completely when they get such a command. Impossible to know beforehand, DDC is a mess .
There's a play pause button at the bottom right of the page. Its possible you have Reduce Motion or Low Power Mode enabled? That pauses videos by default.
Youtube comes with an iframe and privacy concerns when embedding, I need full control of the playback of my own HTML5 videos.
This is so funny to me - I was also watching The Rest is Science when that popped up and I watched it, shoutout TRiS literally my favorite podcast ever. The app is really good though, my only qualm is that I can’t seem to get rid of all the controls and only view the window on my phone on portrait mode, nor do keyboard shortcuts seem to work (modifiers not applying)
The nice thing about it being open source is you can point claude at it and fix them and run your own custom version. The bad part is you need to reinstall it every few days to keep it from expiring if you don't have an Apple developer account.
That thing about seeing only the desktop or window also bugs me out, I like how in RealVNC I can zoom to fill my phone with the Mac screen and move around with the zoom.
Thanks! I started with the prompt from https://www.aiformortals.co/blog/sonnet-5-5#test-1-make-the-... which helped a lot in creating a general direction. The default output otherwise is that fast paced, epilepsy inducing AI slop that doesn't explain anything.
It helped to give it access to the app code and ability to screenshot its UI and interact with it.
I mostly list the features I want showcased because I know best what needs demoing and what looks good on video, and then let it do a full video. There's still a lot of slop on the first try but it's a much better start than what I'd do by hand.
Yes I made Clop, thanks! I won't be doing Windows apps anytime soon, I simply don't have a need for them and an app that I can't use daily will be a bad app.
Gave it full access to the app code and ability to screenshot its UI and interact with it so it knows what it really works like in real life.
And then listed some features for it to showcase and let it one shot it. It needed a lot of polishing after that, but the start was the 80% I needed to make this feel possible.
Not sure if we're talking about the same thing. I use this for clicking around my MacBook from my iPhone while I'm away. What you're describing is for recording videos of the phone .
Thanks! Yes, I mostly need to change some setting with the system settings window or click on a dialog, and this is easier to use because it can show only that window and I don't have to log in or use a keyboard.
In Oct 2026, if you want this you just ask your favorite LLM "look at this repo, can you add windows support?". Or "I need an app that does XYZ on Windows" and especially for something this specific, targetted, and small you'll likely have a working app in 1-2 hrs if not < 5 minutes.
Is there a reverse app? I want to control my iphone apps from my mac since typing on iphone is painful and the iphone touchscreen keyboard seems to be less accurate and more laggy over time. And iPhone Mirroring feature is laggy for me for some reason.
Maybe someone in the US should sue Apple into stop abusing their market share to lock people into their walled garden of "joy". Also, innovation happens outside/before Apple these days.
What’s iPhone mirroring to a Mac got to do with how Apple’s policies around its App Store work? (To be clear taking 30% and locking out competitors is, in my opinion, overreaching, but I fail to see why this should stop iPhone mirroring being a thing in the EU??)
> What’s iPhone mirroring to a Mac got to do with how Apple’s policies around its App Store
It doesn't, not releasing iPhone mirroring is apple’s malicious compliance with the DMA. They attempted multiple times to turn this into a PR stunt. In this case, it would be a question of making their “Remote Desktop” api available to developers.
Would love a feature where selecting a window automatically resizes it to the aspect ratio of the iPhone, vertical or landscape, so it can be full screened losslessly on the iPhone.
I was working on something similar, though specifically for grabbing the video output window from Cubase for transport to a web app I run on my ipad on the opposite side of my studio. This looks really well thought out. Super excited to try it.
gumby | 20 hours ago
Iphone is novel though, but does a pencil work?
jasonjmcghee | 20 hours ago
There are VNC clients on iphone / ipad - but generally it's whole desktop.
RealVNC is the name brand but it's not exactly a good experience. "Screens 5" looks like a better alternative.
isomorphic | 16 hours ago
RealVNC did not work from iOS/iPadOS to macOS Golden Gate when I tried it relatively recently, although it may have been updated since. It's possible Apple changed something in their version of VNC's auth.
I used to recommend Screens (v4) when it was flat licensed, as it seemed to work well and was well designed in dealing with smaller screens and input differences. Now (v5) it's $5/month $30/year $200/lifetime, which I can't really justify for my casual use case.
the_lucifer | 8 hours ago
At this point it almost feels intentional on Apple's part for not having a first party app, as if having one would be a tacit admission that iPads/iPhones are lesser than actual computers (although the logic does break down since they allow it on Macs).
IIRC they do support weird versions of screen sharing and remote control when on a Facetime call which is convoluted to say the least.
jscheel | 19 hours ago
GeekyBear | 19 hours ago
https://support.apple.com/en-us/102597
the_lucifer | 8 hours ago
In the most recent beta, they added animations, and drag effects when reordering tabs in Safari: https://old.reddit.com/r/MacOSBeta/comments/1x656oc
jscheel | 4 hours ago
gumby | 18 hours ago
thewhitetulip | 18 hours ago
boguscoder | 17 hours ago
fbcpck | 13 hours ago
In contrast, what I wanted (what this app does!) is to view and control my mac from my handheld device, initiated from the handheld device.
These apps all look similar and it makes it very difficult to search:
• Mac screen --> Handheld, as extended display = Sidecar
Use-case: I use my ipad as additional window space for the mac.
• Mac screen --> Handheld, as duplicate display = Sill, Sunshine+Moonlight
Use-case: I leave my desktop and continue watching what I had playing on it from my kitchen ipad.
• Handheld screen --> Mac = Airplay
Use-case: I play some media from my iphone on the mac screen.
• iPhone screen --> Mac, controlled from Mac = iPhone Mirroring
Use-case: I use my iphone-only apps from my mac, wirelessly
• iPad controls --> Mac, controlled from Mac = Universal Controls
Use-case: I use my ipad with my mac mouse+keyboard
Usually, trying to search for this type of app obnoxiously returns results for Airplay, and if you manage to filter it out, it's Sidecar — but it's not what I want!
soifiosud | 10 hours ago
I was surprised by how smooth it is.
alin23 | 19 hours ago
This is the first time I discover an app through a Youtube video recommendation. I was watching The Rest Is Science when this 1 minute video appeared on the right side with 230k views about a macOS app?? It got me curious for sure.
Claude got really good at making demo videos with Hyperframes apparently. Just did my own this week for Cling (https://lowtechguys.com/cling) and Clop (https://lowtechguys.com/clop) and users are already appreciating that they can discover app features through easy to digest video snippets.
Most people don't read the website copy at all unfortunately so I had to adapt. But I would never have the patience to do that in After Effects.
bredren | 18 hours ago
It has all the expected controls.
latexr | 16 hours ago
defrost | 16 hours ago
https://alinpanaitiu.com/
latexr | 15 hours ago
alin23 | 15 hours ago
I get that we have to be skeptical nowadays with all the bots, but I would never have guessed that my day to day writing will be taken as robotic ad-reading.
latexr | 12 hours ago
No, of course not, that is a pretty bad faith interpretation of what I wrote. Making every post about one’s own things is spammer behaviour, though, and explicitly against the rules.
> I would never have guessed that my day to day writing will be taken as robotic ad-reading.
It did to me, and I deal with spam frequently. If it had just been the writing style I wouldn’t have said anything, it was the links always there that triggered alarm bells.
alin23 | 12 hours ago
That is my thinking on sharing these links to my work. I did something that helps me, and I want to see it helping others. Most of it is free.
There are no shop fronts for my work, no targeted ads, there are people that could benefit from it and me talking about it is one of the only ways to do that.
I myself found about Hyperframes from a comment like this, being in awe of what can be achieved with careful prompts and the right tooling. I struggled for years in DaVinci Resolve making stupidly high effort videos that looked amateurish and didn't convey the information I had in my head. I thought others might want to see that.
I get how seeing links in irrelevant comments can raise spam alarm bells, I thought I'm being useful and tried not to add links so often. But memory can be deceiving.
latexr | 11 hours ago
I just realised I have actually paid for one of your apps (Lunar). I haven’t used it in a few years since it messed up the config on a monitor that I connected to which wasn’t mine, but I understand you have to be hacky with the app due to its nature and I believe you care to make it good.
alin23 | 10 hours ago
alin23 | 12 hours ago
Youtube comes with an iframe and privacy concerns when embedding, I need full control of the playback of my own HTML5 videos.
logicallee | 16 hours ago
explosion-s | 10 hours ago
alin23 | 10 hours ago
That thing about seeing only the desktop or window also bugs me out, I like how in RealVNC I can zoom to fill my phone with the Mac screen and move around with the zoom.
mistersquid | 10 hours ago
Do you have a link to this 1-minute video?
(a little later…) I think I found it : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJnNkfHLdFw
alin23 | 10 hours ago
okrad | 7 hours ago
alin23 | 4 hours ago
It helped to give it access to the app code and ability to screenshot its UI and interact with it.
I mostly list the features I want showcased because I know best what needs demoing and what looks good on video, and then let it do a full video. There's still a lot of slop on the first try but it's a much better start than what I'd do by hand.
SomeonesAccount | 6 hours ago
alin23 | 5 hours ago
SomeonesAccount | 6 hours ago
alin23 | 4 hours ago
Gave it full access to the app code and ability to screenshot its UI and interact with it so it knows what it really works like in real life.
And then listed some features for it to showcase and let it one shot it. It needed a lot of polishing after that, but the start was the 80% I needed to make this feel possible.
mandeepj | 4 hours ago
Can you share how the experience different than the local screen recording via something like Screenshot App?
alin23 | 4 hours ago
mandeepj | 4 hours ago
> What you're describing is for recording videos of the phone .
I meant screen recording on a mac itself and not via a phone.
Anyway, thanks for your response. Your sites look great.
alin23 | 4 hours ago
Surac | 19 hours ago
socalgal2 | 17 hours ago
Jakob | 17 hours ago
I was always wondering whether a thin client concept like this could bring it to live again.
greenspam | 17 hours ago
voicedYoda | 16 hours ago
gnopgnip | 16 hours ago
bashwizard | 16 hours ago
qingcharles | 7 hours ago
jkman | 2 hours ago
onebitwise | 16 hours ago
Starmina | 15 hours ago
dansquizsoft | 13 hours ago
isodev | 13 hours ago
dansquizsoft | 11 hours ago
isodev | 6 hours ago
It doesn't, not releasing iPhone mirroring is apple’s malicious compliance with the DMA. They attempted multiple times to turn this into a PR stunt. In this case, it would be a question of making their “Remote Desktop” api available to developers.
bbx | 6 hours ago
King-Aaron | 16 hours ago
I swear it seems to get worse with every new update too. Maddening.
outlore | 16 hours ago
jdalgetty | 8 hours ago
deepbuilds | 15 hours ago
i also made something (getalmirah.com) let me know your feedback on that too...
ahel | 8 hours ago
zephyreon | 15 hours ago
herunan | 14 hours ago
ghboo0927 | 5 hours ago
fbcpck | 15 hours ago
I've been using Sunshine + Moonlight and it required a lot of tinkering and breaks half the time.
Looks like now I can forego that setup, this is way way nicer! Thank you!
toppa33 | 12 hours ago
00deadbeef | 11 hours ago
ericol | 10 hours ago
> Any window from your Mac, on your iPhone and iPad.
I don't think it can get any more clear than that.
apt-apt-apt-apt | 4 hours ago
Is it a screenshot tool or emulator or view-only screen sharing? You have to get through the second paragraph to understand what it is.
"Use any window" would be better I think.
jdalgetty | 10 hours ago
duckerduck | 8 hours ago
inickt | 7 hours ago
Klovy | 6 hours ago
avidruntime | 5 hours ago
jscheel | 4 hours ago