Use Handoff to move seamlessly between your Apple devices. For instance, say you start to write an email message on your Mac and then have to rush out the door for work. While you wait at the train station, finish composing the message on your iPhone. Or, say you start reading an article in Safari on your iPad and then want to finish on your iMac at the office. Apple says Handoff will let you pick up where you left off when using Mail, Safari, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Maps, Messages, Reminders, Calendar, Contacts, and some third-party apps in Yosemite and iOS 8 ①.
① When you get back to your Mac, click the activity icon in your Dock to finish the email message you started on your iPhone or iPad.
The good news is that Handoff is truly convenient; the bad news is it may not work for you. Its hardware requirements are far more stringent than Yosemite and iOS 8’s.
Handoff Requirements
According to Apple, these devices can take advantage of Handoff ②:
② Lucky enough to have more than one Handoff-capable Mac? They can share, too.
- iOS: Any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that can run iOS 8 and that also has a Lightning connector (that excludes the iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPhone 4s)
- iMac: 2012 or newer
- MacBook Air: 2012 or newer
- MacBook Pro: 2012 or newer
- Mac mini: 2012 or newer
- Mac Pro: Late 2013 or newer
Yes, that means if your Mac, iPhone, or iPad is more than a few years old, you are out of luck.
If your Mac is on this list, but doesn’t seem to work, choose Apple > About This Mac. Click System Report and then select Bluetooth in the sidebar.
What you want to see is: Bluetooth Low Energy Supported: Yes; Handoff Supported: Yes ③. If you see the word No or don’t see a line for Handoff in System Report at all, your Mac does not support Handoff.
③ Does your Mac really support Handoff? Go to Apple > About This Mac, click on System Report, and then select Bluetooth. You want to see what’s shown here (circled).
Get Set Up
- Turn on Bluetooth. On the Mac, go to System Preferences > Bluetooth and click the Turn Bluetooth On button ④. On an iOS device, tap Settings > Bluetooth and toggle the switch to On.
④ Click the Turn On Bluetooth button to enable Bluetooth on your Mac.
- Make sure Macs and iOS devices are all signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID. On the Mac, you can check this in System Preferences > iCloud. On an iOS device, tap Settings > iCloud.
- Turn on Handoff on the Mac by going to System Preferences > General and checking the Allow Handoff between This Mac And Your iCloud Devices box ⑤.
⑤ On your Mac, make sure the Allow Handoff Between This Mac And Your iCloud Devices option (circled) is checked.
- Turn on Handoff on an iOS device by tapping General > Handoff & Suggested Apps and toggling the Handoff switch to on.
Switch Devices
When you’re ready to move from one device to another, leave the app you’re using in the foreground. Then:
- Check that your Mac and iOS device (or two Macs) are within Bluetooth range of each another—no more than 33 feet (roughly 10 meters) apart. It shouldn’t matter if your iPhone or iPad is inside a pocket or purse.
- If you’re moving to an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, an activity icon for the app you were working on appears at the bottom-left edge of the Lock screen ⑥. Swipe up from this.
⑥ Your iPhone displays a small activity icon—in this case Safari (circled)—at the bottom of the Lock screen. Swipe up from this icon to open the Web page you were viewing.
Or, if your iOS device is already unlocked, double-press the Home button to open the multitasking screen. If it doesn’t open to Handoff, swipe right to the Handoff view.
- If you’re moving to a Mac, an activity icon for the app (with a tiny device icon on it) appears in the Dock ⑦. Click this to jump to your spot.
⑦ On your Mac, you see an activity icon in the Dock, like this one for Maps.
Or, if you like to keep your hands on the keyboard, when the activity icon appears in the Dock, press Command-Tab to reveal the Application Switcher. Hold the Command key and press Tab until the activity icon highlights. Release the keys to jump to your spot.
Results Will Vary
If you’re composing an email message, you’ll find your cursor where you left it when switching in Mail from one device to another. Likewise, Contacts opens to the card you were editing and Maps jumps to directions just looked up. Safari reloads the page you were reading, but data typed into forms, as well as your place on the page, is lost.
In my testing, Calendar and Messages didn’t remember much more than that I had been in the app.
Apple’s iWork suite—Pages, Keynote, and Numbers—was updated in mid-October to support Handoff.
Turn Handoff Off
To disable Handoff on your iOS devices, tap Settings > General > Handoff & Suggested Apps and then toggle the Handoff switch to off.
To disable Handoff on your Mac, go to System Preferences > General, and uncheck the Allow Handoff between This Mac and Your iCloud Devices box.
Copyright © 2014, Sawyer McFarland Editing. All rights reserved.
FAQs
Turn on “Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices.” Mac with earlier versions of macOS: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click General, then select “Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices.” iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff, then turn on Handoff.
How to move things between Apple devices? ›
iPhone, iPad: Go to Settings > General > Airplay & Handoff, then turn on Handoff. Mac: Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then click AirDrop & Handoff on the right. Turn on “Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices.”
How do I turn off Handoff between devices? ›
On iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch: Go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff, then turn Handoff on or off. On Apple Watch: Open the Apple Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General, then turn Enable Handoff on or off.
Does Handoff work between Macs? ›
Tip: When Handoff is on, you can use Universal Clipboard to copy and paste text, images, photos and videos across devices. You can also copy files between Mac computers.
How can I move things from one iPhone to another? ›
To transfer data from one iPhone to another
On your new device, follow the setup prompts. When you reach "Transfer your Data," tap Other Options. Select Restore from iCloud Backup. Sign in using your Apple ID and select Choose Backup.
How do I transfer data between two Apple devices? ›
Transfer data to a new iPhone or iPad using a wireless connection with Quick Start. Make sure that your current device is connected to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is on. Turn on your new device and place it near your current device. Follow the onscreen instructions to get started.
How to copy and paste between Apple devices? ›
For example, on your Mac, press Command-C or choose Edit > Copy. The copied content is available to paste on your other devices only for a short time. Paste on a device: Position the pointer where you want to paste the content, then paste it. For example, on your iPad, double-tap, then choose Paste from the options.
How do I separate my iPhone and iPad? ›
Remove your associated iPhone or iPad
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name, then tap Media & Purchases.
- Tap View Account. You might be asked to sign in.
- Scroll down, then tap Remove This Device.
Follow these steps to use Handoff. Unlock your iPhone. On an iPhone with Face ID, swipe up from the bottom edge and pause to show the App Switcher. (On an iPhone with a Home button, double-click the Home button to show the App Switcher.)
What happens when I put my iPhone on top of another iPhone? ›
All one has to do is hold their phone's screen close to the top of another person's iPhone, which will cause both devices to vibrate. Once they link, a NameDrop prompt will appear on both phone screens, allowing users to choose if they want to share and receive contact cards.
Hand off a FaceTime call from iPhone to iPad or Mac
- During a call in the FaceTime app on iPhone, do one of the following on the other device: Tap the notification with the suggestion “Move call to this [device].” Tap. ...
- Make sure the settings are the ones you want, then tap Switch or Join. The call moves to the new device.
Apps that work with Handoff include Safari, Mail, Maps, Reminders, Calendar, Contacts, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, FaceTime, and many third-party apps. Use the app to start a task, such as writing an email or document. To switch to your Mac, click the app's Handoff icon in the Dock.
Does Handoff work between iPhone and iPad? ›
With Handoff, you can start something on one device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or Apple Watch) and then pick it up on another device right where you left off. For example, you can start answering an email on your iPad, then finish it in Mail on your Mac.
Does Handoff only work on the same wifi? ›
Handoff For Users
Both of your devices need to be tied into the same iCloud account. Both of your devices need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Both devices need to have their Bluetooth turned on.
How to trigger Handoff? ›
iPhone or iPad: go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff, then turn on Handoff. Apple Watch: In the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap General and turn on Enable Handoff. Apple Watch supports handing off from your watch to your iPhone or Mac.
Can you drag and drop between Apple devices? ›
Universal Control supports using your mouse or trackpad to drag and drop between devices. Examples: Sketch with Apple Pencil on your iPad, then use your mouse or trackpad to drag the drawing into Keynote on your Mac. Drag a photo from your Mac into a conversation in Messages on your iPad.
How do I cut and paste from one Apple device to another? ›
For example, on your Mac, press Command-C or choose Edit > Copy. The copied content is available to paste on your other devices only for a short time. Paste on a device: Position the pointer where you want to paste the content, then paste it. For example, on your iPad, double-tap, then choose Paste from the options.
How do you move everything from one Mac to another? ›
Use Migration Assistant
- Open Migration Assistant on your new Mac. ...
- When Migration Assistant asks you for permission to make changes, enter your administrator password, then click OK.
- When asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk.
Method 1. Separate Two iPhones from Settings
- On iPhone/iPad:
- Step 1: Open Settings on your iPhone/iPad.
- Step 2: Tap on [your name] on the top and scroll down.
- Step 3: You can see a trusted device list (If not, click on Show All" to let it appear). ...
- Step 4: Now tap on "Remove from Account" and confirm with "Remove".
