As the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the world, the demand and need for video conferencing and screen sharing has grown exponentially. When you are not around, sometimes troubleshooting by phone or text message is sufficient, but it is often more helpful to see what is happening on the screen and take remote control.
Although Apple has yet to include remote control and screen sharing in iOS, there are a few decent free third-party options that do.
Skype
Skype may be the simplest third-party screen-sharing app for iOS, and it provides much more security and privacy when compared Zoom. Although there is no remote control function yet, it is a great cross-platform alternative to screen sharing to help others. Skype can be found for free on the Google App Store.
Zoom
Using the Zoom desktop client, you can share the iOS screen between iPhone and iPad. You can use iOS Screen Mirroring to share wirelessly between Mac and PC, or you can use a data cable to connect an iOS smartphone to a Mac computer for sharing. In iOS 11 or later, you can now use screen recording to share the entire screen of an iOS device.
TeamViewer
TeamViewer is one of the few third-party software alternatives that can remotely share and control your screen with Apple devices, but it requires a monthly paid subscription.
iOS Options
iOS Screen Recording
If you can’t use FaceTime, ask users who need it to capture the iOS screen and send it to you. This method simplifies debugging for family and friends when you have the opportunity to text or call them for solutions.
FaceTime
Instead of talking on the phone, allow other people to make FaceTime calls on a secondary iOS device and point them at the device they are having issues with.
Screen share an iOS device using a Mac
This is an entertaining and modified version of the developer features Apple added to QuickTime Player in 2014. If both parties have a Mac and use the Screen Sharing Mac software with this screen mirroring function, you can watch everything that happens on an iOS device.
- Start a screen sharing session on your Mac.
- It allows the people you assist to connect their iOS devices to the Mac with which they share their screen via a USB connection.
- Start QuickTime Player and select a file from the menu, then select a new movie recording.
- Select the drop-down arrow next to the record icon, then select the iOS device you want to view, and then click Record
