Let’s get you connected.

Getting started

Download the Mac 2.1 companion (macOS 14 or later) and get MeowDisplay for iPhone and iPad from the App Store (iOS or iPadOS 16.4 or later). The setup guide covers installing, permissions, and your first connection.

Keep the receiver open and check that both apps are compatible. Mac and iOS 2.1 are public releases; Android 2.0 is in Google Play closed testing and works with Mac 2.0 or later.

Android beta

The Android 2.0 receiver is available to Google Play closed testers and works with Mac 2.0 or later. With Mac 2.1, the Android screen goes dark while the Mac is locked and comes back once you unlock at the Mac. Join the Android early-access program, opt in on Google Play using the same account, and install the private beta. A Mac sender is required for live sessions; Try the Demo can run offline.

Android does not support USB. Connect over local Wi-Fi or a private network (such as Tailscale). A device must be paired before starting a trusted session. For a bug report, include the Android version, phone/tablet model and whether you tested a real device or an emulator.

Pairing

Compare the code on both devices and accept only when it matches. If a previously trusted device unexpectedly shows Pair, restart both apps first. If the problem persists, deliberately forget the device and pair again.

Never accept an unexpected pairing request without checking both screens.

macOS 15: if the Mac app quits right after you approve pairing, that’s a known issue (#219). MeowDisplay 2.1 includes a proposed fix that hasn’t been verified on macOS 15 yet; if you can try it, please add what you see to the issue. A failure over Tailscale is still being looked into.

Mirror & Extend

Black screen: check the Mac’s Screen Recording permission and confirm the stream is connected and not paused.

Mirror unavailable: an active physical display is required. A closed laptop without an active external display may not provide one. Choose Extend instead; it creates its own display and needs no dummy adapter.

Session stops when the lid closes: for clamshell use, keep the MacBook connected to power, and use Extend on your iPhone or iPad.

Extend unavailable: enable video capture. Open Displays, choose Extend, and use Arrange Displays… to check where the extra screen sits.

Audio

Confirm the session is connected and playing, then check receiver volume and Mac audio output. Audio is started by the receiving device; the Mac’s Streaming settings report its state. Reconnect if the receiver is showing an old frame rather than a live session.

Input & gestures

Grant Accessibility permission on the Mac, enable Allow Input, and resume any paused stream. Tap and drag use one finger; scrolling uses two. A three-finger tap opens Spotlight.

If input still fails, reopen the apps after changing permissions. Also note whether you used Natural Touch, Classic, Trackpad or Window view. Connecting alone never grants input; use Request Control on the receiver. Include the gesture or keyboard action and whether you were in Mirror, Extend or Window view.

Window view & floating windows

No Float options: floating windows need MeowDisplay 2.1 on both the Mac and the iPhone or iPad, and Enable Floating Windows turned on in Settings ▸ Controls ▸ Window Switcher. They aren’t available on Android or Mac Receiver.

A floating window disappeared: look for a thin strip along an edge of the screen and tap it. Several floats on one crowded edge share one handle; tap it for a menu of their windows. Connected to a Mac without floating windows, floats stay tucked until you connect to one that has them.

Resizing a float didn’t change the Mac window: that’s expected. The corner grip only changes the view on your device. Use Fill Window on Mac to resize the real window; it needs control of the Mac and MeowDisplay 2.1 on the Mac. Restore Previous Size on Mac appears once there’s a size to go back to.

An Open or Save panel in a pane doesn’t respond: with MeowDisplay 2.1 on the Mac, these panels take taps where they’re drawn. If the panel’s buttons are hidden behind MeowDisplay’s controls, press Escape to cancel or Return to confirm.

“No … Window to Show”: the app is open on the Mac but has no window. Choose Show a Window on Mac to bring it to the front there so it opens one, or Choose a Window.

“This pane’s window was closed on the Mac.” Choose Choose Window to show another window in that pane, or Remove Pane.

Panes say they’re paused for Mission Control: Mission Control is open on the Mac. Choose Exit Mission Control, or press Esc on the Mac.

How-to: Window view & floating windows.

Keyboard

Typing doesn’t reach the Mac: control has to be allowed first; use Request Control on the receiver. In Window view, touch the window you want to type into first, so it’s the one in front.

Zoom While Typing isn’t where you expect: it follows the typing position your Mac reports, so it can be off in some apps. Close and reopen the keyboard, pinch to adjust the view, or turn off Zoom While Typing in Settings ▸ Input ▸ Keyboard.

The arrow keypad’s ⇧ ⌥ ⌘ are dimmed: with a Mac on an older version, they work only while no modifier is latched on the Control Tray. Unlatch the tray’s modifier, or update MeowDisplay on the Mac.

When your Mac is locked

While the Mac is locked, normal session content is not shown or sent, and your device says the Mac is locked. An authorized iPhone or iPad can still request the lock-screen view. Your layout comes back once it’s unlocked.

No Show Lock Screen button: the device isn’t allowed to use the Mac’s lock screen, and it says why. Unlock it at the Mac. To use it next time, the device needs Always Allow Requests on the Mac, Allow Input on, Allow Lock Screen Control on for that device, and MeowDisplay 2.1 on both sides. With Ask, it works only if the device already had control before the Mac locked.

The lock screen closed: it ends after two minutes without input, on disconnect, and when the Mac unlocks. Tap Show Lock Screen again.

How it works: Lock Mac & unlock.

USB & local network

USB on iPhone/iPad: try a data-capable cable and another port. Unlock the device and accept Trust This Computer. Android USB is not implemented.

Wi-Fi: allow Local Network access on both devices, keep the receiver open, and confirm both are on the same network. Guest-network isolation or firewall rules can prevent discovery or connection.

The route label describes the active path: USB, LAN, or nearby peer-to-peer AWDL. Note it when reporting a problem.

Mac app quits right after you approve a new device: on macOS 15 this is a known issue (#219). MeowDisplay 2.1 includes a proposed fix for one cause, when the connection uses QUIC. The fix hasn’t been verified on macOS 15 yet. If it still happens, please add the Mac’s log to the issue.

Remote Access & wake

Check that your private network shows both devices online and that the saved remote endpoint is current. A reachable address does not replace trusted pairing.

Wake & Connect needs supported hardware and Wake for Network Access. Local Wake-on-LAN cannot pass through an unreachable sleeping Mac’s own Tailscale connection. Remote wake needs a separate device or router on its LAN.

Cold boot and a fully logged-out Mac are outside the current supported session workflow. See Remote Access setup.

Report a problem

On the Mac, use Logs to reveal the diagnostic files. On iOS, open Settings & Help → Connection log, or shake the device.

Before sharing, remove private endpoints, identifiers, device names, and personal content. For Android, use Settings & Help → Share Connection Log. Distinguish physical-device tests from automated/emulator tests.

Open a GitHub issue ↗

• App versions (download, App Store, Google Play closed test or source build) and macOS/iOS/Android version.
• Mac and receiver models, mode, and active route.
• What you did, what you expected, and what actually happened.
• Whether restarting or reconnecting changes the result.

Security reporting

Found a security or privacy vulnerability? Please don’t open a public GitHub issue. Use GitHub’s private Report a vulnerability flow for the MeowDisplay repository instead.

Open the MeowDisplay repository’s Security page, then choose Report a vulnerability. Only maintainers can see what you send. The security policy explains what to include.

Where to go

• Bugs and feature requests: a public GitHub issue.
• General help: this page and Setup.
• Security or privacy vulnerabilities: GitHub’s private vulnerability reporting, as above.

For how MeowDisplay stores and sends data, read Privacy.