How to Remotely Control Another IPhone or Mac Using FaceTime
Ways to help your friends and family solve their tech problems are lost. You can send them links to Lifehacker articles, tell them how to solve the problem over the phone, or you can solve the problem for them. The latter is easy to do when they’re with you, but if you’re trying to help remotely, you now have some help thanks to the new FaceTime remote control feature. It allows you to request control of another person’s iPhone or Mac via FaceTime. This can be useful both when you’re trying to troubleshoot technical problems with another person’s Apple device, and when you’re asking for help with your own Apple problems.
What you need to use the FaceTime remote
At the time of writing, FaceTime remote control only works on iOS 18 or macOS 15 Sequoia. Update your iPhone/iPad (under Settings > General > Software Update ) or Mac (under Apple icon > System Preferences > General > Software Update ), then open FaceTime app to get started. The remote control feature requires the other person to share their screen with you first, so let’s start there.
How to Share Your Screen Using FaceTime
To use FaceTime to share your screen, ask the person you need help to do the following:
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Open FaceTime on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
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Start a video call.
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While the call is active, click the Share button, which is located to the left of the red End Call button. The share button logo looks like a person in front of the screen.
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On iPhone, select Share My Screen to start screen sharing. On a Mac, you can choose Share Entire Screen or open any app and click Share This Window .
Be careful about letting people control your iPhone or Mac.
Now we can start sharing control of the target iPhone or Mac. But first, a warning to the person handing over the remote control. By giving someone control of your device, you allow them to install and uninstall apps, open any of your apps (where they can send messages or emails on your behalf), and change all sorts of system settings. Treat it like you’re handing over an unlocked iPhone to someone else. If you don’t trust the person to control your phone in real life, you shouldn’t give them remote control of your phone either.
Apple has built some security features into the FaceTime remote to help protect you. Those who control your device via FaceTime can’t change your Apple account information, device password, or Face ID settings, and can’t perform a factory reset. If the remote control session makes you uncomfortable, you can always tap the screen, close apps, and end the call. Your actions take precedence over the actions of the person controlling the device remotely.
How to Control Another iPhone or Mac Using FaceTime
To request control from another person in FaceTime, follow these steps:
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Make a FaceTime video call to the person you want to help.
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Ask them to share their screen with you. Once screen sharing starts, press the “Request Control” button during a call.
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On your iPhone, this button looks like pressing your finger on the screen. It is only visible when you are viewing another person’s screen. On your Mac, the same button looks like a cursor. This button is located on the toolbar in the screen sharing window.
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The other person will have to accept your remote control request before you can continue. On an iPhone, the other person needs to tap Allow to give you remote access to their phone. On a Mac, have the other person click the purple screen icon button in the top-left corner of the Screen Sharing window, then select Allow Control .
Please note that you cannot remotely control an iPhone from a Mac or vice versa. Remote control is only possible between two Mac computers or two iOS/iPadOS devices.
How to stop FaceTime remote control
Once you fix the problem, you can stop controlling the other person’s iPhone or Mac. The easiest way to do this is to end the FaceTime call. Ending a call automatically ends the connection and prevents you from remotely accessing the other person’s device. However, if you want to continue the conversation without controlling the other person’s device, you can do so.
On iPhone, tap the “finger touch screen” icon when you’re controlling another person’s screen. On a Mac, click the cursor icon in the Screen Sharing window toolbar. This will end the remote control session.
If you’re the one whose device is being controlled remotely, you can also end the FaceTime remote control session at any time. Simply end the FaceTime call or tap the screen sharing icon to stop screen sharing. This will also stop screen sharing.
There’s a third way to stop your FaceTime remote session, which will allow you to continue sharing your screen. Click the Stop button at the bottom of the Screen Sharing window on your iPhone and that’s it. On a Mac, click the purple screen icon button in the top-left corner of the Screen Sharing window and select the greyed-out Allow Control button.