Every Time You Pick Up Your iPhone While Working, You Risk Getting Distracted, but 3 New Mirroring Tricks Could Help Keep It Down

iPhone Mirroring is getting several useful upgrades with iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate.

You can now freely resize the mirrored iPhone window, open Control Center without touching your phone, and play DRM-protected video that used to appear as a black screen.

The changes address several limitations of iPhone Mirroring since Apple introduced the feature in 2024.

Also: Before you pay for another Mac app, check these 8 macOS 27 features because your Mac may already do more than you realize

You can finally resize your iPhone

iPhone Mirroring previously gave you only three window size options: Actual Size, Larger, or Smaller.

In macOS 27, you can grab any corner of the window and resize it freely, just as you would with most Mac apps.

Apps updated for iOS 27 can adapt their interfaces as you give them more room. Widen Mail and see more of your inbox. Calendar can show a broader view, while some apps can switch to their iPad layouts when the window gets large enough.

On a large Mac display, you can now use more of the available screen instead of keeping the mirrored iPhone confined to a tall, narrow window.

Third-party apps need to support the new behavior before they’ll adapt properly, so Apple’s own apps currently provide the best examples.

Press Command-9 to return the window to its original iPhone proportions.

Also: 10 new watchOS 27 features that can make your Apple Watch feel brand new without spending a dime on an upgrade

Control Center finally works through Mirroring

Control Center has been inaccessible through iPhone Mirroring since the feature launched.

That meant changing settings such as Focus modes or other Control Center options required picking up the physical iPhone even while you were controlling everything else from your Mac.

In macOS 27, Command-4 opens Control Center directly inside the mirrored window. You can also access it from the View menu.

The shortcut joins the existing keyboard controls for navigating your iPhone: Command-1 opens the Home Screen, Command-2 opens the App Switcher, and Command-3 opens Spotlight.

Drag and drop between the two devices also works. You can pull a photo from the mirrored Photos app onto your Mac desktop or drag a Mac file into an email or message on the iPhone.

Also: iOS 27 quietly fixes the most annoying part of copy and paste on your iPhone with a shortcut you’ll wish you had years ago

DRM-protected video can now play

iPhone Mirroring also handles DRM-protected video differently in iOS 27. Previously, trying to play protected content through Mirroring could leave the video area black. Protected video can now play directly inside the mirrored window.

Streaming services can still restrict playback individually, so not every video app is guaranteed to work.

If a service already has a Mac app or website, you’ll probably still be better off using that. Mirroring is more useful for content available only through an iPhone app or something you’ve already downloaded to your phone.

iPhone Mirroring requires a compatible Mac and iPhone signed into the same Apple Account with two-factor authentication enabled, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on. Your iPhone must also be nearby and locked while you control it from the Mac.

The feature remains unavailable in the European Union.