Control a Presentation on Your Mac From iPhone
Published 2026-09-26 · Updated 2026-10-05
You can control a presentation on your Mac from your iPhone by pairing Poket PC, putting the deck on the Mac’s main display, and using the phone as a private clicker over live screen or trackpad.
Tap-to-advance workflow
Mac (projector) iPhone (you)
| |
| Keynote / PowerPoint / PDF |
| full screen on main display |
| |
|<-------- encrypted session -------|
| |
| Screen: tap right edge / button | Tap where "next" lives
| or Trackpad: move + click | Or pointer + click
v v
audience sees slide change you keep eye contact
Step by step
- Connect the Mac to the projector or room display; confirm main display is the one presenting (only that display streams to the phone).
- Start the deck on the Mac and enter presenter or full-screen mode.
- On the iPhone, open Poket PC and connect to the paired Mac.
- Open Screen, pinch-zoom if the tap targets are small, and tap the next control—or switch to Trackpad and click without showing the slide image large on the phone.
- For speaker notes on the Mac, glance at Screen; do not assume notes appear on the phone unless they are visible in the streamed main display.
Keyboard for presenter notes
If your app lets you type in notes on the Mac, tap Type and the keyboard sends text plus Return and Delete. It does not send arrow keys, Escape, or modifier shortcuts in 1.0; those are planned for a later release.
Latency tips
- Prefer same Wi-Fi as the Mac in large rooms; the phone then connects to the Mac directly instead of through the relay.
- Venue guest Wi-Fi often blocks local discovery. The app then uses the relay, at the same 30 fps, which is enough for slide changes; avoid scrolling long pages on Screen during the talk if bandwidth is tight.
- Lock the phone when you are not advancing slides; there is no Face ID gate inside Poket PC yet.
Before you walk in
- Pair before the talk if the phone is new: Pair New Device, six-digit match, 120-second window.
- Install the iPhone app from the public TestFlight beta on beta before you travel. Version 1.0 is in App Review, not on the App Store yet.
- Download the helper from Mac on the presenting machine, and keep that Mac awake and unlocked: Poket PC cannot wake it or get past its lock screen.
More control options
Mac on TV covers couch media tiles. Control Mac from iPhone covers the full app. Version 1.0 is free with no ads and no in-app purchases.
Frequently asked questions
Can I control a Keynote or PowerPoint deck from my iPhone?
Yes. Open the live screen view and tap the slide area or on-screen controls, or use Trackpad to move the pointer and click next.
Is there a dedicated next-slide button in Poket PC?
No. There is no presenter remote layout in 1.0, and the deck cannot add a tile that runs a macOS Shortcut. Use tap-to-advance on Screen or Trackpad clicks.
Will the audience see my iPhone screen?
No. Only the Mac output to the projector or display changes. Your iPhone is the private controller.
Does presentation mode work over cellular?
Yes after pairing, through the encrypted relay, though latency is lower on the same Wi-Fi as the Mac.
What frame rate is the live screen?
H.264 at 30 fps, on the same Wi-Fi and through the relay alike, main display only, long edge up to 1600 px.