Whether you’re preparing a presentation or just sharing random doodles with friends, Apple’s Continuity feature makes it a lot easier for you to annotate and sketch through Continuity Markup and Continuity Sketch using your iPhone and Mac together.
The coolest part? You get to see the markup and sketch happening in real-time!
Prep Your iPhone and Mac for Markup
To utilize Continuity features like this, your Mac and iPhone should be near each other. Your Mac should be running macOS Catalina or later, while your iPhone should be running iOS 13 or later.
Lastly, they need to meet the following Continuity requirements:
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is turned on
- Both devices are signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID
How to Add Sketches to Your Documents on a Mac
Continuity Sketch allows you to insert sketches on any Apple app, like Pages, Notes, Mail, and Keynote. The feature also works for some third-party apps.
This feature is excellent when you don’t have a graphics tablet, but you have an iPhone or iPad. While they aren’t really the same in performance and function, doing sketches on a touch screen is much easier than doing it with your Mac’s trackpad or mouse.
To make your Mac request a sketch from your iPhone:
- Open a supported document.
- Go to the menu bar. click Insert > Import from iPhone > Add Sketch. Alternatively, Control-click and choose Add Sketch. In some apps, like Notes, you will find this option in the File menu instead of Insert.
- Once you tap Add Sketch, a popup will appear on your Mac, saying Add a sketch with “[Name]’s iPhone”— simultaneously, a sketch window will appear on your iPhone.
- Draw a sketch and hit Done on your iPhone when you’re ready to add it to the document on your Mac. Choosing Cancel on either device will stop Continuity Sketch.
How to Mark Up Your Files on a Mac in Real-Time
Like sketches, you can also use your iPhone to mark up documents, images, and other files, as long as the app supports the Continuity feature. This comes in handy when presenting, signing, annotating, and adding emphasis or extra details to documents.
To make your Mac request a document markup from your iPhone:
- Find a PDF or image that you want to mark up on your Mac.
- Click the document, then press Space to open a preview. Then click for the Markup button, which looks like a marker tip, at the top.
- Alternatively, select the PDF or image, then Control-click and choose Quick Actions > Markup.
- Click on the small iPhone icon at the top. When you hover your pointer over it, it should say Annotate on [Name]’s iPhone. When you click this, it should turn blue. Simultaneously, a markup window will open on your iPhone, showing the same PDF or image on your Mac.
- Use the marker and pencil tools to mark up the image. You can also tap the plus icon to add shapes, text, or your signature. As you do this on your iPhone, you’ll see the changes appearing in real-time on your Mac.
- Once you’re finished marking up your document or image, tap Done on your iPhone. If you want to save the markup, click Done on your Mac. However, if you want to restore the original file or image, click Revert.
Transform Your iPhone Into a Handy Tool
There is more to the iPhone–Mac duo than the simple syncing that allows you to use your iPhone as a remote while you share your Keynote on your Mac. With Continuity features, you can doodle, annotate, sign, and add details to your document—all in real-time!