Learn about the Sidecar feature that turns the iPad into a second screen for Mac

About a month ago we told you about IPadOS system, Which became the operating system for iPad devices instead of iOS, and at that time we referred at the end of the article about a feature called Sidecar, and you may have noticed that we did not talk much about it at the time, and this is because it is related to the new version of the Mac operating system, which is called macOS Catalina .

The open beta version of Catalina has now become available for download, so there is no more appropriate time than now to talk to you about the new feature Apple Sidecar, and this is because it will be of benefit to you if you use iPads and Macs at the same time.

What is Apple Sidecar?

This new feature will transform your iPad into a second screen for your Mac, which is a fast and easy-to-use feature, and its uses are wide, and its most important use at all is to transfer the content of your Mac's screen to the iPad screen as it is. And in real time, or you can use it to display different content from the Mac on it, and this is to be able to review more than one application or two different types of content at the same time.

How do you activate Sidecar?

In order to use this feature, you must have two things, the first is a Mac running macOS Catalina and the second is an iPad running the new iPadOS 13, but this iPad must be compatible with this feature. There are many ways to activate the new Sidecar feature, but the easiest one is to use the AirPlay menu on Mac computers.

The AirPlay menu is used to connect to other devices, and it is normal that you need to connect the iPad and Mac devices to each other in order to use the Apple Sidecar feature, all you have to do is press the AirPlay icon in the top right of the main screen, which is the icon in the form of a screen with an arrow If your iPad is compatible with Sidecar, you can connect to it through AirPlay, as you can see from the following image:

Simply put, when you press the iPad and connect with it, it will directly turn into a second screen for your Mac screen. You can also activate the Sidecar feature by pressing and holding the green screen expansion button in any application on the Mac. In addition, you can Access to Sidecar section through system settings.

How to use Sidecar?

The Sidecar feature was designed and developed to provide the ability to have a dual screen for Mac users without the need to purchase additional devices, and since the two screens will be under the control of the Mac - I mean the iPad screen and the Mac screen itself - you can manage everything through a wired mouse or the Trackpad.

It should be noted that the iPad gestures will not work, meaning that you will not be able to swipe with four fingers or 5 to do the popular gestures. Actually, it is as if you have connected a touch screen and not an iPad with its famous features.

Sidecar integration with Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard

If you use the Sidecar feature and you have an Apple Pencil, then you can use it as an alternative to touch or the mouse, as everything that you do on the iPad screen through the pen will be done on the Mac itself. Like Photoshop and Illustrator, where you will be able to draw inside the two applications via the iPad, which is excellent for designers and visual content creators.

On the other hand, if you have a Smart Keyboard for the iPad - which is shown in the image above - you will be able to use it instead of the Mac keyboard itself and you will be able to write through it directly within the application opened on the Mac.

You can now conclude that if you own an Apple pen and keyboard for Mac, you can make your iPad more like a miniature Mac!

What type of connection is between iPad and Mac in Sidecar?

You may be wondering about the type of connection between the two devices while the Sidecar feature is running, and fortunately, the feature allows connection of both types, whether it is wired or wireless, as you can connect both iPad and Mac through your Wi-Fi network or through hotspot, as well as you can You connect them through a cable, and in this case you will need a USB-C to USB-C cable if you are using a modern iPad, but if it is old, you will need a USB-C cable to Lightning, and the matter here depends on the type of entrance in Your tablet device.

What devices are Sidecar compatible with?

All devices that will be upgraded to iPadOS 13 will support the feature, which is:

1- All iPad Pro devices
2- The fifth and sixth generations of iPad
3- The fifth generation of iPad mini
4- iPad mini 4
5- The third generation of iPad Air
6- iPad Air 2

As for the Mac computers compatible with the new feature, they are:

1- iMac 2015 “27” or later
2- MacBook Pro 2016 or later
3- Mac mini 2018 or later
4- MacBook Air 2018 or later
5- MacBook 2016 or newer
6 - Mac Pro 2019 or later
7- iMac Pro 2017 or later

Source:

Mac Rumors