One of the key features of iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia is the ability to remotely control your iPhone from your Mac. But what if we told you that you did not need to update and lose your jailbreak to enjoy this functionality?
That indeed appears to be the case following the release of a new jailbreak tweak called CatVNC by iOS developer 0x530c.
Citing the project’s depiction page on the Havoc repository, CatVNC unlocks powerful VNC server capabilities on your jailbroken iOS or iPadOS 15 or 16 device so that you can remotely control it with a VNC app on your Mac such as VNC Viewer.
Once installed and configured, you can not only view your iPhone or iPad’s display on your Mac, but you can remotely control it as well, using multi-touch controls and keyboard input from your Mac. Unfortunately, audio isn’t supported.
The developer recommends turning on the AssistiveTouch accessibility feature on your iPhone or iPad to simulate the Home Button or Home Bar effect to make it easier to access the Home Screen after launching an app.
Unfortunately, notifications from your iPhone or iPad won’t seamlessly integrate with macOS like they do in the iOS 18/macOS Sequoia functionality. This is a limitation of VNC software.
Worried about the potential for some unauthorized individual gaining access to your device? Don’t be. You can set a password that only you know so that you’re the only person who can interact with your iPhone or iPad via VNC connection.
If you’re interested in gaining remote iOS & iPadOS device capabilities from your Mac, then you can download and install the CatVNC jailbreak from the Havoc repository via your favorite package manager app for $5.99.
Do you have any specific uses in mind for controlling your iPhone or iPad remotely over VNC? Let us know in the comments section down below.