One of the key features of macOS Sonoma that Apple was willing to show focused on desktop widgets. Like widgets that have been around on iOS for a while, these widgets allow us to quickly see information from our most used apps without having to open the apps themselves.
Of course, If you later want to open the app, the widget also gives you quick access to it. While we know how to add widgets to our desktop in macOS Sonoma, there's one really cool widget feature we haven't covered yet, until now, and that's the ability to add iPhone widgets on the Mac. Let's see how it's done! !
This is great if you really prefer the look and proportions of iPhone widgets. It also means you have a similar look across devices, as macOS and iOS widgets often look slightly different. It also means that you don't actually have to have a widget installed on your Mac to use it, as long as it's installed on your iPhone. Remember that your iPhone must be running iOS 17 and signed in to it Apple ID than your Mac.
How to use iPhone widgets on macOS
Before putting iPhone widgets on your Mac or Macbook, we need to familiarize ourselves with this new way of organizing desktop widgets. To do this, follow the following steps:
- First in the upper right corner of the screen, click on the date and time section of the menu bar.
- When the Notification Center, go to the bottom and select the Edit Widgets button.
- Choose a widget to add and then drag it to your desktop.
With this simple procedure in mind, now is the time to send your trusted iPhone widgets to your Mac desktop. What's important to understand about this new feature is that you don't have to download the apps on your Mac for it to work properly.
Adding iPhone widgets to your Mac is like adding any other widget to your Mac. Just keep in mind that both your Mac and Your iPhone must be updated to the latest software, i.e. macOS Sonoma and iOS 17, respectively. Additionally, you must sign in with the same Apple ID on both devices and have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on for continuity features to work. Both your iPhone and Mac should also be connected to the same Wi-Fi network and should be nearby.
Add iPhone widgets on your Mac
Follow the steps to carry out the process:
- First you will have to click with the Right click on your desktop and select Edit Widgets
- Now choose a widget for iPhone
- Scroll through your widget library and select a widget.
- You will notice in the bar on the left that your iPhone widgets appear. Even if you don't have the apps installed on your Mac, as I said above, they will be displayed in the macOS widget library.
- Now you can simply select a widget for iPhone.
- Select the widget size you want and click the green + symbol when it appears.
- When ready, click Done.
- And that would be it! This is how easy you can have an iPhone widget on Mac
Open the widget on iPhone
You may now need to confirm using your iPhone for the widget on Mac. If so, simply pick up and unlock your iPhone and open the app or tap the iOS widget in question.
And that's all there is to it. You will now have your iPhone widget on your macOS home page. This is a super cool little feature and another benefit of the Apple ecosystem, which connects better and better with each version of iOS and macOS.
There's just a slight problem with using an iPhone app widget on the Mac. The thing is that the widget sometimes, depending on which one it is, simply shows information, but you can't control anything about it.. For example, if the widget is the Audible application, you will not be able to control or play anything, you will only see the information in the widget itself.
If you tried to open it or control it from the widget, a message like this would be displayed: "Open Audible on iPhone to continue."
This is related to how widgets used to be nothing more than information screens, and can now be interactive. As developers work on their apps and widgets, hopefully the widgets can do more than just tell you to take out your iPhone when we use it this way on our Mac.
However, there will likely always be at least some limitation like this. Apple wants you to be able to use iOS widgets in macOS Sonoma even if you don't have the corresponding Mac app, but at least for now, the functionality is a bit limited.
Conclusion
Widgets are one of the favorite parts of the app experience for many iPhone users. Now, you can also enjoy this experience in all its grandeur on your Mac screen. Plus, with Mac Home Screen widgets' intuitive ability to fade into the background, they'll never distract you from work.
Although it is true that this functionality of adding an iPhone widget to a Mac is good, in very specific circumstances, because at least for the moment, it is somewhat limited.
But for all its limitations, this new ability to add an iPhone-only widget to a Mac is easy to do, and potentially very useful.
As always, I hope you found this article on how to use iPhone widgets on your Mac helpful and useful. If you already use widgets on the Mac, or even know another way to display iPhone widgets on our Mac, let us know in the comments.