How to Control Anything on Mac With IPhone
Controlling a computer from a mobile device is nothing new, but over the past year or so, there have been several notable iOS and Mac apps that have made it truly amazing. Let’s take a look at some of the best apps that you can use to control your Mac in the palm of your hand.
If you are an Android user, check out this guide on how to integrate your Android device with your computer. In this case, we’ll be using iOS.
Manage all kinds of action with Alfred
Alfred is one of our favorite Mac app launchers because you can do whatever you want with it. You can launch applications with a single keystroke, search for files, search the Internet for resources, send emails quickly, and even control basic system behavior. With the addition of workflows, you can empower Alfred to do just about anything.
The Alfred Remote app connects your iPhone to your computer so you can control everything you can do in Alfred from your phone. With both the Mac app and iOS app installed, you can launch apps, files, search the web, run system commands, manage iTunes, or start your own workflows.
Assign custom action hotkeys
Technically, Actions is just an iPad, but it’s worth including it here because it’s so powerful. Actions basically turn your iPad into a touchscreen console where you can launch a variety of keyboard shortcuts right from your iPad.
With Actions, you set up shortcuts on iPad that trigger actions on your computer. This is probably most useful with something like Photoshop, where you might not remember hundreds of different keyboard shortcuts for different actions. In addition, you can also create your own macros using the Streams option. These streams can be almost any series of actions, but popular ones include copying text, creating a calendar event, then pasting that text, or automatically loading a series of web pages with one click.
Control your music with TodayRemote
TodayRemote is the simplest controller on this list, but it’s also one of the most useful. Basically, it turns your iPhone into a multimedia remote. What sets it apart from Apple’s offering is that it doesn’t just work with iTunes. TodayRemote also supports Spotify, Rdio, Vox and VLC. It’s a simple little thing, but if you’re listening to music on your computer and want to control it from another room, TodayRemote is incredibly useful.
Control cursor, apps and more with BTT Remote
BTT Remote integrates your iPhone with the Mac Better Touch Tool app. With both apps installed, you can do tons of different things with BTT Remote.
The main feature is the ability to launch shortcuts from your phone, but there are many other features in BTT Remote. You can use your phone as a trackpad, access all the menu bars of a Mac app, use your phone keyboard to enter text on a Mac, browse files, and more.It’s certainly not the prettiest app on this list, but it’s so complete features that it’s hard to ignore.
Unified remote controls for all kinds of multimedia
We’ve introduced you to using the Unified Remote on Android, and the iOS version has the same basic functionality. You can manage all your music, create custom widgets for various applications, and more.
What’s nice about the Unified Remote is how easy it is to organize the various remotes. You can create separate sections for all the different applications you use it for, and even view your Mac’s screen remotely. Heck, you can even use it to control your Raspberry Pi XBMC if you like.