Running iOS 11? See our iOS Screen Sharing Update!

This blog post applies to screen sharing support for iOS devices running iOS 8-10. Bomgar has updated iOS screen sharing for customers running iOS 11.

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With iOS 11 + Bomgar, iPad/iPhone screen sharing is available over WiFi or cellular network connections. Check out our tutorial to see how to set it up.

iOS Screen Sharing for iOS 8-10

The help desk and IT support organizations we serve tell us they are getting more requests to support iPads and iPhones. Often there’s a hint of mild frustration in the voice. As advanced as iOS devices are, the process of supporting them, ironically, takes one back to the days before screen sharing. “Go to Settings … now swipe down … do you see Mail, Contacts, Calendars?”

Because of Apple’s restrictions in iOS, not only could we not control remote iPads or iPhones, we couldn’t see them very well either. Until today, that is.

Today, Bomgar announces iOS Screen Sharing. This new capability offers the most comprehensive, real-time seeing of iPads and iPhones possible to date. With it you can see the screen of the remote device, including the camera, all the apps, and their associated settings. Basically, whatever the user sees, you can see.

As useful as the new screen sharing capability is, there are some limitations. So I thought a blog post that clarifies what iOS Screen Sharing is and shows how it works would be worthwhile.

What is iOS Screen Sharing?

iOS Screen Sharing is the ability to see the screen of remote iOS 8.0.1+ devices that are connected via USB to a Mac running OS X Yosemite.

Technically, the screen sharing session occurs between the remote Mac computer and the support rep. The support rep can see when an iOS device connects and click a button requesting to view the iPad or iPhone screen on the Mac.

As with other Bomgar support sessions, the remote customer can allow screen sharing or not (most easily by unplugging the USB cable!). And we can record a video of the screen sharing session for auditing purposes.

What are its limitations?

For the support rep side of the session, you need the following:

• Bomgar Remote Support 15.1.2+ (iOS Screen Sharing is not available with Bomgar Privileged Access Management)
• Windows, Mac, or Linux Desktop Rep Console (iOS Screen Sharing is not available when connecting from our mobile apps)

For the customer side of the support session, the following are necessary:

• iPad, iPhone, or iPod running iOS 8.01+
• Mac computer running Mac OS X Yosemite
• USB cable connecting the iOS device to the Mac

I should probably also reiterate here that there is no direct remote control of or direct screen sharing with the iOS device. The iOS screen is shared with the Mac, and the Mac screen is shared with the Bomgar rep. Although the rep may be able to fully control the remote Mac desktop, interaction with the iOS device is limited to View Only.

Start a Mac Support Session

Given the current system requirements, you need to be in an active remote Mac support session before you can use iOS Screen Sharing.

Have the Customer Plug In the iOS Device

Ask the customer to connect their problem device to their Mac via the USB cable.

Just an aside here … Apple is ever tightening the interaction between Mac computers and iOS devices. Some capabilities that required the USB cable in the past are now available over wireless or Bluetooth. I’m speculating, but the USB cable may not be required with iOS 11. For now, it is.

Start iOS Screen Sharing

When an iPad or iPhone connects to the Mac, you can request to see it by clicking the device name in the iOS Device Screen Sharing dropdown menu.

If multiple devices are connected, they will be listed by device name.

Guide the Customer with the Virtual Pointer

Once you can see the screen of the remote iOS device, you can guide the customer through troubleshooting. The Virtual Pointer is the best tool for this job.

After the Session, Save the Video for Reporting/Training Purposes

One benefit of using Bomgar for remote support is the detailed audit record each session generates. With iOS Screen Sharing, a video of the remote support session can be recorded and saved.

iOS Screen Sharing Video Transcript

Bomgar Remote Support now includes iOS Screen Sharing, a new capability that lets you see the screen of a remote iPad or iPhone that is connected via USB to a remote Mac computer. To use iOS Screen Sharing, you’ll need to meet a few requirements.

The support rep will need Bomgar Remote Support 15.1.2 or higher and the desktop version of the Bomgar Representative Console running on Windows, Mac, or Linux.

The remote customer will need an iPad, iPhone, or iPod running iOS 8.01 or higher, a Mac computer running Mac OS X Yosemite, and a USB cable connecting the iOS device to the Mac.

For this demo, we’ll assume you’re already in a remote Mac support session.

Have the customer connect the iOS device to the Mac with the USB cable.

Once the device connects, you can request to see it by clicking the device name in the iOS Screen Sharing drop down menu.

A live stream of the device screen will appear on the Mac desktop, and you’ll be able to see in real-time the screen of the remote device, including the camera, all the apps, and their associated settings.

Because the screen sharing session is view only, we recommend using the Virtual Pointer.

This will allow you to show the customer how to troubleshoot his own device.

Bomgar can also record a video of the iOS Screen Sharing session.

The video can be part of your audit trail or you share it with the customer in case they run into this problem again.

iOS Screen Sharing offers the most comprehensive, real-time viewing of remote iPads and iPhones possible to date.

While our team at Cirrus has professional tools for providing remote screen sharing support sessions, you may want to help a friend or family member understand a feature you've been using for years. You may also be the person your friends and family members turn to for questions about Macs. In normal times, those questions might come over dinner or at another in-person gathering, such that you could look directly at their Mac to see what was going on. Now, however, with everyone staying at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, answering those questions has seemingly gotten harder. But it doesn’t have to be that way, thanks to a built-in feature of macOS that you may not have known about: screen sharing.

With the Mac’s built-in Screen Sharing app, you can either observe or control another person’s Mac, anywhere on the Internet. They don’t even need to enable Screen Sharing in System Preferences > Sharing. (Don’t worry—there are multiple ways that Apple ensures that this feature can’t be used surreptitiously.)

Remote Screen Sharing For Mac Laptop

Initiate the Connection

There are multiple ways to connect to a remote Mac for screen sharing, but two stand out as being particularly easy.

First, if you communicate in Messages with the person whose Mac you’re trying to control, make sure your conversation with them is selected, and then choose Buddies > Ask to Share Screen. The other person can also initiate the connection with you by choosing Buddies > Invite to Share My Screen.

Second, if Messages doesn’t work for you (those commands are often dimmed), or the other person doesn’t use Messages, there’s another option. Press Command-Space to open Spotlight and type “Screen Sharing”. The Screen Sharing app should be the top hit—press Return to launch it. (For future reference, it’s stored in /System/Library/CoreServices/Applications/Screen Sharing.)

Then, in the dialog that appears, enter the person’s Apple ID, which is likely their email address, and click Connect.

Accept the Connection

Needless to say, macOS doesn’t allow anyone to connect to a Mac like this without permission. The other person needs to accept the connection request, which they do by clicking Accept in the notification that appears, likely in the upper-right corner of the screen. Obviously, clicking Decline immediately terminates the connection.

Share Mac Screen With Windows

After clicking Accept, the other person gets yet another permission request, this time with additional options. They can once again choose to Accept or Decline, and choose between allowing you to control the screen or just observe them using it. And, of course, if you ever get a screen sharing request from someone you don’t know, you can always click Block This User to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Next, a little popover appears to alert the other person to the new icon on the menu bar. The blue menu bar icon constantly flashes while the connection is active so there’s no question that screen sharing is taking place.

So what’s in that menu? Commands for switching between controlling and observing (choose “Allow Name to control my screen” to toggle), mute the microphone (more on that shortly), pause screen sharing, and end the session.

Use the Connection

The Mute Microphone command in the remote Mac’s Screen Sharing menu is a hint—when you’re sharing the screen, the connection also provides full audio communication. This seems helpful, but in many cases, you’re already talking on the phone, at which point it’s helpful to mute the microphone on both sides. Or hang up the phone and stick with Screen Sharing’s audio.

For the most part, once you’re controlling someone’s Mac remotely, it’s just like using the Mac while sitting in front of it. You can move the pointer around, select icons and menus, open apps and documents, and so on. You may notice a slight lag or jitter as the screen draws, since updating it over an Internet connection is much, much slower than in person.

You do have a few special capabilities based largely on the buttons in the toolbar, however:

• Toggle Control/Observe: When you’re controlling the remote Mac, you may find yourself competing for the pointer and keyboard with the other person. To let them “drive,” click the binoculars icon in the toolbar to switch to Observe mode. Click the arrow pointer to return to Control mode.
• Resize the window: If you’re on a 13-inch MacBook Pro and trying to control a 27-inch iMac screen, it simply won’t fit. Luckily, Screen Sharing lets you resize the window so it does, although some interface elements may become too small to use easily. If that’s a problem, you can disable scaling by clicking the left-most Scaling button, after which everything on the remote screen will appear at normal size. You’ll have to scroll the window to see parts of the screen that are out of view.
• Share Clipboard: By default, you’re sharing the Clipboard, so anything you cut or copy on your Mac will be transferred to the other Mac’s Clipboard, and vice versa. If that’s awkward, you can disable it and then use the commands in the Clipboard menu to get or send the Clipboard contents manually.
• Take a screenshot: Normal screenshot controls don’t work for taking a screenshot of the remote screen, or rather, they’ll work on the remote Mac. To take a screenshot of what you see and keep it on your Mac, click the Screenshot button.
• Transfer files: It’s not obvious, but you can move files back and forth between the two Macs merely by dragging them to and from the remote Mac’s window. You sometimes have to pause slightly for Screen Sharing to realize your pointer has left the remote Mac and is on your Mac, but as soon as you let up on the mouse button, the file copies. A File Transfers window shows progress and history.
  

When you’re done with your screen sharing session, you can shut it down by choosing End Screen Sharing from the remote Mac’s Screen Sharing menu or just close the window or quit the Screen Sharing app on your Mac. Remember that as soon as you do that, the audio connection will drop as well, so make sure you’ve said goodbye first!

(Featured image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

Screen Sharing On A Mac

Social Media: Do you need to help someone with their Mac without visiting them in person? During this time of physical distancing, macOS’s Screen Sharing feature is a perfect solution, letting you converse while observing or controlling a remote Mac.