The interconnectivity of Apple devices is a great benefit of using them. There are many different ways of
mirroring iPhone to Mac, such as through USB. Knowing how to mirror your iPhone to your Mac can be highly useful for you to share pictures, and videos, stream music or play games on the bigger screen of your Mac.
Whatever the reason behind mirroring iPhone to Mac might be, you can rely on this comprehensive guide to learn how to do it to fulfill your screen mirroring requirements.
Yes, definitely. You can connect your iPhone to your Mac via a USB cable.
Most people think of a wireless way to mirror iPhone to Mac via AirPlay, but this method relies a lot on the Internet connection, and you may encounter the lagging issue while screen mirroring via AirPlay. However, with a USB cable, you will have a smooth and stable screen mirroring experience no matter how your WiFi or cellular Internet connection goes.
However, there are some important things that you have to consider to do it successfully. You will need the following components to do it:
Lighting to a USB cable is vital to insert a cable into the iOS device in any orientation. You don't have to worry about inserting it in a specific direction, like the micro-USB connector or Apple's 30-pin port.
Following are the different methods you can use to mirror iPhone to Mac via USB cable.
Using QuickTime to mirror iPhone to Mac via USB is the easiest and quickest method of doing it. It is a completely free method. All you need is a lightning cable to connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your Mac.
QuickTime Player is a Mac application. It is essentially a media player that gives various options, such as mirroring and recording your iOS device screen from your Mac.
However, before discussing the steps involved in using QuickTime, it is important to note that QuickTime is no longer supported by the latest macOS 10.15 Catalina or later. Therefore, the steps discussed below are for macOS 10.14 Mojave and older.
You also have the option of recording the mirrored screen by using the red button in the QuickTime player. This recording feature is useful when you are watching videos and want to capture a certain part of them. You can easily stop screen mirroring your iPhone to Mac by closing the QuickTime application.
There are some common errors and compatibility issues associated with QuickTime Player, due to which you might have to rely on a third-party screen mirroring app to mirror iPhone to Mac via USB.
The good thing is that you can use AirDroid Cast for both wireless and wired connections. It is a powerful tool that can fulfill all of your screen mirroring requirements. The steps involved in mirroring iPhone to Mac via USB using AirDroid Cast are:
Whether you use AirDroid Cast for a wired connection (via USB) or wireless connection, you can rely on this tool to get the following benefits:
Compatibility
AirDroid Cast does not have any compatibility issues. You can use the same platform to mirror iPhone to Mac and even Windows or a Smart TV. As a result, you won’t have to get different apps for screen mirroring.
High-Quality
The quality of the audio and video is of utmost importance in screen mirroring. AirDroid Cast ensures you get synchronized audio with HQ video to get an optimum experience while playing games and streaming movies.
Secure Experience
Unlike apps like LonelyScreen, AirDroid Cast puts a special focus on ensuring maximum security to provide a secure and smooth experience.
User-Friendliness
AirDroid Cast Web and App are both easy to use, and anyone can set them up to mirror different devices.
LonelyScreen is a free tool that is available for both Windows and macOS. It works as an AirPlay receiver and allows you to mirror iPhone to Mac with or without USB. As a result, you are able to enjoy your iPhone content on the bigger screen of your Mac.
All you have to do is follow these steps:
Even though using LonelyScreen to mirror iPhone to Mac is an option to achieve your goal, you should avoid using this method. LonelyScreen has a lot of bugs and errors that can adversely impact the mirroring experience. Moreover, it is not a fully secure platform, so you can face security threats from it.
Now that you are familiar with the top 3 methods of mirroring iPhone to Mac, let’s compare them in terms of their main features so you can choose the best platform:
| Features | QuickTime | AirDroid Cast | LonelyScreen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support Wired Connection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Support Wireless Connection | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mirroring with Sound | Yes | Yes | Sound lags are common |
| Devices compatibility | Limited to Mac and iOS devices. | Android, iOS devices, Mac and Windows. | Mac and Windows. |
| Security Level | High | High | Very Low |
| Recommendation | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★ |
Relying on wired connections such as USB is one of the most reliable and effective ways of enjoying interruption-free screen mirroring. You can easily play games and stream movies from iPhone to Mac via USB without worrying about the speed of the internet.
Moreover, screen mirroring iPhone to Mac is highly useful in getting an immersive experience of playing games, music, or movies on the bigger screen of your Mac. If you feel that you are not getting an enjoyable experience on your iPhone, you should definitely consider mirroring your iPhone to your Mac via USB.
Screen mirroring via USB is also useful when you don't have Wi-Fi or a stable internet connection to make a reliable wireless screen mirroring connection. With a compatible and good-quality USB cable, you won't have to worry about these issues.
Apart from mirroring iPhone to Mac via a USB cable, you can also mirror your iPhone to Mac without USB, which means you can do it wirelessly. You can do this when you don’t have a USB cable or your USB cable doesn’t work as expected.
You can try the AirDroid Cast Wireless method or AirPlay method to cast iPhone to Mac without USB.
You can also check this comprehensive guide for more details.
| Comparison | With USB | Without USB |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware Requirement | a Mac, iOS device, and USB cable | a Mac and iOS device |
| Software Requirement | No | Yes |
| Internet Connection | Low | High |
| Streaming Quality | High | Vary from the Internet connection |
| Remote Connection | No | Yes |
If you choose to mirror iPhone to Mac with USB, that means that you need a USB cable, and the streaming quality usually is high and stable because there is no requirement for your WiFi or Internet connection. However, you can’t remotely screen mirror your iPhone to your Mac using the USB method.
If you choose to mirror iPhone to Mac without USB, that means that you will need to do that wirelessly with WiFi, and this requires a strong WiFi or Internet connection. You may encounter the connection lags sometimes. Additionally, with the help of screen mirroring software, you can remotely mirror iPhone to Mac.
Screen mirroring iPhone to a larger screen, such as Mac, is a highly useful and beneficial way of enjoying your content. Modern technology allows you to do this through both wires and wireless connections. Therefore, you should carefully analyze your requirements and choose the best solution that helps you in screen mirroring your iPhone to Mac.
Generally, it is recommended that you use AirDroid Cast because it is a highly-rated screen mirroring app. You can use it to mirror iPhone to Mac via USB cable or wirelessly. You can even use the same app to mirror your iPhone to a web browser-enabled Smart TV.
You can easily mirror iPhone to Mac wirelessly using AirPlay by following these steps:
If you are having issues with QuickTime in screen mirroring your iPhone to Mac, you should try the following solutions:
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