Can't Get iPhone Mirroring to Work

Question

Can't Get iPhone Mirroring to Work

I'm using a MacMini running Sequoia 15.0 and an iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 18.0.1. Both are signed in to my Apple account, they are on the same wifi and near each other. My iPhone is within 2' of my MacMini. There are times I've used my iPhone as a hotspot when internet was out and the two devices were farther apart than they are now. When I upgraded my MacMini to 15.0, the iPhone Mirroring app showed up in my apps and on my dock. I do not see any app for it on my iPhone and find no settings for mirroring on my iPhone.

I run the iPhone Mirroring app on my Mac and get this window:

I click Continue and get this:

So, as far as I know, everything is as it should be. Both are powered on and I click "Continue." What I get is a flash - almost too fast to see - where the app window changes back to the first image, the one I get when I start it, then goes back to the second image. That's it. No warnings, no indications of errors. Nothing on my iPhone at all.

I've tried this with my iPhone unlocked, with it locked, but with the lockscreen showing, and with the screen off, in resting mode. None of this makes a difference. No matter what, the app window on my Mac just flickers to show the first image, then is back to the second one. It's an endless loop with no prompting about what I've done wrong or what is not working. No message like, "Can't find your iPhone," or, "Cannot access iPhone due to security settings." Nothing helpful here.

How can I make this work?

Mac mini, macOS 15.0

Posted on Oct 21, 2024 11:32 AM

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Answer 1

varjak paw

Level 10

176,734 points

Oct 21, 2024 11:44 AM in response to HalNineThousand

Just to confirm, you've reviewed the requirements for iPhone Mirroring and both your devices meet them all?

Your computer is a Mac with Apple silicon or Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip and is using macOS Sequoia 15 or later.
Your iPhone is using iOS 18 or later.
Your iPhone and Mac are signed in to the same Apple Account using two-factor authentication.
Your iPhone and Mac have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.
Your iPhone is locked and near your Mac. It can also be charging and using StandBy.
Your iPhone is not sharing its cellular connection (Personal Hotspot is not in use).
Your Mac is not sharing its internet connection or using AirPlay or Sidecar.

(from iPhone Mirroring: Use your iPhone from your Mac - Apple Support)

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Answer 2

Oct 21, 2024 3:36 PM in response to varjak paw

Okay, not sure about 2FA. So if I signed a device in without 2FA, then I have to log out and re-log in with 2FA? (I thought, at this point, 2FA was required for every Apple sign in.)

Everything else:

MacMini is on 15.0
iPhone is on 18.0.1
Both signed into same Apple account
Both have bluetooth and wifi turned on (and are on the same wifi SSID)
iPhone is near my Mac - seriously near it, and is locked, but have tried it unlocked as well, just in case.
Personal hotspot on iPhone is NOT in use.
Not using ScreenSharing, Sidecar (never used Sidecar that I know of) and is connected to internet through Ethernet cable and isn't sharing the internet connection with anything else.

So it seems to me all it can be is not signed in with 2FA, but, as I said, it seems that's required to sign in to my Apple account.

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Answer 3

Oct 21, 2024 4:37 PM in response to HalNineThousand

HalNineThousand wrote:

Yes.

One issue is 2FA. I can't remember how I signed in, but doesn't Apple require 2FA for any sign in to an Apple account now?

You can check by following these directions:

Turn on two-factor authentication for your Apple Account

If you’re not using two-factor authentication for your Apple Account, you can turn it on right on your device or on the web:

On your iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > [your name] > Sign-In & Security. Tap Turn On Two-Factor Authentication. Then tap Continue and follow the onscreen instructions.
On your Mac: Choose Apple menu  > System Settings > [your name] > Sign-In & Security. Next to Two-Factor Authentication, click Turn On and follow the onscreen instructions.
On the web: Go to account.apple.com and sign in to your Apple Account. Answer your security questions, then tap Continue. Tap Continue when you see a prompt to upgrade account security. Then tap Upgrade Account Security and follow the onscreen instructions.

If you’re already using two-factor authentication with your Apple Account, you can’t turn it off. If you updated to two-factor authentication inadvertently, you can turn it off within two weeks of enrollment. If you do, your account is less secure and you can’t use features that require a higher level of security.

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Answer 4

Oct 22, 2024 8:40 AM in response to lobsterghost1

I'm finding it confusing to follow this discussion - not because of anyone posting, but because there is no indentation showing to indicate threads or branches of threads and posts are not shown in chronological order.

I've checked and I have 2FA setup on my iPhone, MacMini, and for web login.

So I'm checking the list again. First the list:

Your computer is a Mac with Apple silicon or Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip and is using macOS Sequoia 15 or later.
Your iPhone is using iOS 18 or later.
Your iPhone and Mac are signed in to the same Apple Account using two-factor authentication.
Your iPhone and Mac have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.
Your iPhone is locked and near your Mac. It can also be charging and using StandBy.
Your iPhone is not sharing its cellular connection (Personal Hotspot is not in use).
Your Mac is not sharing its internet connection or using AirPlay or Sidecar.

And my setup, point by point:

Mac is Apple Silicon, running Sequoia 15.0
iPhone is on iOS 18.0.1
Both are signed into the same Apple account and I checked and I have 2FA for all sign-in methods on my Apple account
Both have wifi and bluetooth turned on. Both are on the same wifi network. In fact, I have a headset connected to the iPhone (now now, but it has been during some tests and not during others) with bluetooth and 2 devices (keyboard and trackpad) connected to my MacMini by bluetooth.
iPhone is locked and within 2' of my Mac. (Also tried unlocked, charging, not charging - and combos of those.)
iPhone personal hotspot is off.
I have not set up any shared connection that I know of. I am not sharing my screen at this time with ScreenSharing (although I use that) and am not using AirPlay to display anything from any other system on my MacMini. I am not using Sidecar. At some point I may have set it up to test it and see how well it worked for me, but I'm not using it now. At this point, since everything else is verified, I'm wondering if I could somehow be using one of these without knowing it. I've looked up at the icons in the menu bar and can ID every icon showing and none are AirPlay or Sidecar or ScreenSharing.

So it looks like I have everything set as it should be. What's odd is that there are NO error messages or anything else. The window on the Mac behaves oddly, more like a bug than it not being able to connect. I'm hoping I might somehow have something on regarding AirPlay or Sidecar that I haven't realized is on.

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Answer 5

Oct 21, 2024 1:14 PM in response to varjak paw

Okay, I'm confused, since I thought the T2 chip was in Macs from 2018 and later. I have a 14,3 MacMini from 2023 and apparently it does not have a T2.

So what's going on here? Are they in some Macs and not others? Or were they discontinued after a certain year?

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Answer 6

Oct 21, 2024 11:15 PM in response to HalNineThousand

Interesting - a number of posts weren't showing. There were some I posted and didn't see until after later posts showed up. I'm re-reading and finding helpful posts I did not see earlier.

Okay, took a quick look. I have 2FA setup on my Mac, iPhone, and on the web.

So, as best I can tell, I've met all the requirements on both the Mac and iPhone.

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Answer 7

Oct 22, 2024 8:47 AM in response to HalNineThousand

I think at this point, you've worked hard enough on this. It worked immediately on my MacBook Pro M1 and iPhone 16 Pro. But I have turned it off completely as it also means every time your Mac screen goes to sleep, you'll have to enter your passcode manually to get back in and that can't be changed.

I'd suggest contacting Apple Support directly for help. Assuming you're in the US, you can call them at: 800-MY-APPLE

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Answer 8

Oct 22, 2024 9:13 PM in response to lobsterghost1

Yes. It's very frustrating. I called Apple Support. Part of the problem is I have to talk to them on my iPhone, which means any testing during the call that doesn't work quite right could be because the phone is in use. The woman tried to help, but he did not have the depth of knowledge needed to really understand what was going on. I upgraded to 15.0.1 (from 15.0) on my Mac and still have the issue.

Apple is pretty good about error messages, but with the flicker of the first screen on the window coming back up, then the 2nd screen showing up instead, and no warning or error, convinces me it's a bug.

I'd really like to get this working, but I don't think it will until this bug is fixed.

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Answer 9

varjak paw

Level 10

176,734 points

Oct 21, 2024 1:29 PM in response to HalNineThousand

The T2 chip was only in Intel-based Macs. Your Mac mini is Apple Silicon, with an M2 chip.

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Answer 10

Oct 21, 2024 2:01 PM in response to varjak paw

So Apple has added a newer feature that only works on older Macs?

And there's no way to control my iPhone from my iMac?

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Answer 11

varjak paw

Level 10

176,734 points

Oct 21, 2024 2:35 PM in response to HalNineThousand

No, of course they didn't. The system requirements clearly state that any Mac with Apple Silicon is supported. But have you checked all of the other requirements?

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Answer 12

Oct 21, 2024 4:33 PM in response to varjak paw

Yes.

One issue is 2FA. I can't remember how I signed in, but doesn't Apple require 2FA for any sign in to an Apple account now?

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