Any Window From Your Mac, On Your iPhone And iPad

TL;DR

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Sill lets users view and control a Mac window or the full desktop from an iPhone or iPad. The free app streams video directly between paired devices and supports touch, keyboard, trackpad and Apple Pencil input; it requires an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 14 or later.

Sill is a free app for viewing and controlling Mac windows or the full desktop on an iPhone or iPad, according to the project’s GitHub listing. The software sends an encrypted video stream directly from a Mac to a paired mobile device and returns taps, clicks, keyboard input and other controls, offering a way to use Mac apps away from the computer without an account or an intermediary server.

The Mac component captures a selected window or the desktop using Apple’s ScreenCaptureKit and encodes the image as HEVC with VideoToolbox. The project says it uses the Mac’s hardware video encoder when available, falling back to software encoding if that encoder is busy. It says capture stops when no device is connected and that frames are dropped if the encoder or network cannot keep up, rather than being queued.

Users can connect devices on the same network, over USB, or through Direct Wireless Connection when there is no shared network. For access away from home, Sill supports a user’s own VPN, such as Tailscale, or a forwarded router port, with Remote Access turned off by default. The listing says the stream uses TLS 1.3 encryption and that paired devices recognize one another’s keys. Pairing usually involves scanning or entering a code; USB pairing is automatic.

On the mobile device, Sill supports touch, an attached keyboard, a trackpad or mouse, and Apple Pencil as a pointer. The project also describes two-way clipboard sharing when enabled, and controls for changing streamed text size and picture quality. The Mac app requires Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions; local-network permissions are also needed in some configurations. The iPhone or iPad app asks for local-network access and camera access if the user scans a pairing code.

Mac Control Beyond the Desk

Sill is aimed at people who need to interact with a Mac app from a smaller or more portable screen, rather than simply view a static display. Its return path for keyboard, pointer and touch input means the remote device can act as a control surface, while a trackpad or mouse can scroll and an attached keyboard can send keys to the Mac.

The direct-connection design may also matter to users wary of routing screen content through a third-party service. The project says there is no account or relay server, and that traffic is encrypted between paired devices. Those are descriptions from the project, not an independent security audit; users still need to grant macOS permissions that allow the app to capture screen content and generate input.

Its usefulness will depend on connection quality and compatibility. Sill supports local, wired and user-managed remote connections, but the listing does not provide independent performance measurements, latency figures or a comparison with other remote-desktop tools. The frame-dropping approach is intended to keep the displayed image current when a link falls behind, though it may mean motion appears less smooth on a slow connection.

Requirements and Connection Options

Sill requires a Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 14 or later, plus an iPhone or iPad running iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later. The Mac download is described as free and notarized, and is also available through the project’s Homebrew tap. The iPhone and iPad app is listed as free on the App Store; the project says its source can also be built directly.

For nearby use, devices can discover the Mac on a local network through Bonjour. USB provides a wired connection, while Direct Wireless Connection uses peer-to-peer Wi-Fi and is off by default. Remote Access is also off by default and requires the user to set up a VPN or port forwarding. The listing says a device first learns remote-access details when it connects at home with that setting enabled.

The project describes additional interface options for iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo, including a layout that adapts to the Duo’s hinge position. iPad users on iPadOS 26 or later can access app menus in the iPad menu bar, while other supported configurations use a Menus button in Sill. These details and features are presented in the project documentation; the supplied source does not identify a release date or a version number.

““Any window from your Mac, on your iPhone and iPad.””

— Sill project description on GitHub

Performance and Release Details

The supplied project listing does not give a release date, version history, latency tests or independent reviews. It also does not quantify battery use, maximum resolution, frame rate or how well the app performs across different network conditions. The documentation describes a quality control and says the app may drop frames when a link falls behind, but does not provide benchmark results.

Security details, including TLS 1.3 and device-key pairing, are claims in the project’s documentation. No external audit is cited in the supplied material. The exact behavior of every described feature may also vary by device, operating-system version and permissions. Users should check the current app listing and project documentation for the latest compatibility and setup information.

Check Compatibility Before Setup

People interested in using Sill can check the project’s GitHub page and its linked download and App Store listings for current availability, version information and installation instructions. Setup requires installing the Mac and mobile components, pairing the devices and granting the requested permissions. For use outside the home network, users must configure their own VPN or router access and enable Remote Access.

Further details that would help assess the app include release notes, performance testing across networks, and any independent review of its security design. Until those are available in the supplied source, Sill’s capabilities and safeguards should be understood as project-described features, rather than independently verified results.

Key Questions

What does Sill do?

Sill streams a selected Mac window or the full desktop to an iPhone or iPad and sends controls such as touch, keyboard, trackpad and pointer input back to the Mac.

Which devices and operating systems are required?

The project lists an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 14 or later, and an iPhone or iPad running iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later.

Can Sill connect when the devices are not on the same network?

Yes. The project lists USB and Direct Wireless Connection options. For access away from home, users can configure their own VPN or router port forwarding; Remote Access is off by default.

Does Sill send screen content through a company server?

The project says there is no account or intermediary server and describes an encrypted connection between paired devices. That is the project’s own description; the supplied material does not cite an independent security audit.

What permissions does Sill need?

On the Mac, Sill requests Screen Recording to capture windows and Accessibility to relay input and manage window sizing. On iPhone or iPad, it requests Local Network access and camera access if the user scans the pairing code.

Source: hn