Apperture Guide

How to view a Mac app on your iPhone

You don't need your whole desktop on a 6-inch screen — you need one app. Here are your options in 2026, and a five-minute setup for the focused one.

Your three options

  • Full remote desktop (Screens, Jump Desktop, VNC): your entire Mac on your phone. Powerful, but a 27-inch desktop on a phone means constant pinching and panning. Right when you truly need the whole machine.
  • Display extension (Sidecar): iPad-only, same-desk range — it adds screen space next to your Mac rather than putting a Mac app on your phone.
  • Single-app streaming (Apperture): pick one Mac window and it fills your iPhone or iPad like a native app, with touch and keyboard input going back to the Mac. Best when what you want is one app, legible and interactive.

We compare these head-to-head in more depth: vs Screens, vs Jump Desktop, vs macOS Screen Sharing, and vs Sidecar.

Setting up single-app streaming (about five minutes)

  1. Download the free Apperture host on your Mac and grant it Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions when prompted — one captures the window you choose, the other delivers your taps and keystrokes.
  2. Install Apperture on your iPhone or iPad from the App Store.
  3. On the Mac, choose Pair Phone. A QR code appears (it expires in two minutes). Scan it with the iOS app, then approve the device on the Mac.
  4. Pick the app or window to stream. It fills your phone's screen; tap, scroll, and type as if the app were local.

Good to know

  • Everything is peer-to-peer on your private network — no cloud relay, ever.
  • Away from home, use a private VPN; see our Tailscale guide.
  • The stream adapts quality to your connection and reconnects automatically.
  • The Mac host is free, and your first 15 connections include full functionality at no charge — Pro is unlocked in the iOS app after that.
  • Details on pairing and trust are in the security overview.

Try Apperture

The Mac host is free. Download the Mac Host , then get the iOS app on the App Store and pair the two with a QR code. Your first 15 connections are free with full functionality — no payment up front. You'll be viewing a Mac app on your phone in about two minutes.