With the introduction of macOS Catalina and iPad OS 13, Mac and iPad will be able to work together more seamlessly than ever before. This is due to the kindness of Sidecar. The remote display feature allows you to use your iPad as a secondary display for your Mac. That said, you have the flexibility to mirror the content on your macOS device or turn it into a secondary display to take full advantage of the extra screen space.
In addition, Sidecar is very easy to set up and works with both wired and wireless connections. However, before you start, make sure your device supports this new remote display feature. Take a look at all iPads and Macs running on Sidecar!
Contents
Sidecar compatible iPad and Mac
List of iPads that support sidecars
- iPad Pro (all models)
- iPad (6th generation or later)
- iPad mini (5th generation or later)
- iPad Air (3rd generation or later)
Side note: Technically speaking, Sidecar works on all iPads supported by Apple Pencil (1st and 2nd generation).
List of Macs compatible with sidecars
- MacBook Pro (2016 or later)
- MacBook (2016 or later)
- MacBook Air (2018 or later)
- iMac (2017 or later, or iMac with Retina 5K, 27 inches, late 2015)
- iMac Pro
- Mac mini (2018 or later)
- Mac Pro (2019)
- Mac Studio
So how does a sidecar work?
Apple’s remote display software is very similar in functionality to Due Display and Luna Display. If desired, you can use virtual display technology to extend or mirror your desktop. As mentioned above, it is designed to work with both wired and wireless connections.
If you use a wired connection, you’ll need either a USB-C-USB-C cable (for newer iPad Pros) or a USB-C-Lightning cable, depending on your iPad model. In terms of efficiency, wired connections alleviate delay issues and make virtual displays work a bit smoother.
If you want to use this feature with a wireless connection, make sure the device is within 10 meters. The technology first connects quickly using Bluetooth and then transfers data using point-to-point Wi-Fi.
Another thing to note is that iPads and Macs also need to log in to the same iCloud account.
A step in the right direction …
Now you don’t have to use third-party apps or hardware to turn your iPad into a Mac secondary display. I’ve been using this feature since I started using Catalina and the iPad OS. And it must be said that it further enhances Continuity, which has long been a great feature in the Apple ecosystem.
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What do you think about sidecars? Please give us your feedback in the comments section below.
