Use Handoff to move seamlessly between your Apple devices. For instance, say you start to write an email message on your Mac and then have to rush out the door for work. While you wait at the train station, finish composing the message on your iPhone. Or, say you start reading an article in Safari on your iPad and then want to finish on your iMac at the office. Handoff lets you pick up where you left off when using Calendar, Contacts, Keynote, Mail, Maps, Messages, Notes, Numbers, Pages, Reminders, Safari, and some third-party apps in El Capitan and iOS 9 ①.
① When you get back to your Mac, click the activity icon in your Dock to finish the note you started on your iPhone or iPad.
The good news is that Handoff is truly convenient; the bad news is it will not work for you unless you have a Mac and iOS device made in the last few years.
Handoff Requirements
According to Apple, these devices can take advantage of Handoff:
Apple Watch: all versions
iOS: iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 8.1, iOS 9 or newer; device must have a Lightning connector
MacBook Air: Mid-2012 or newer
MacBook: Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015
MacBook Pro: Mid-2012 or newer
Mac mini: Late 2012 or newer
iMac: Late 2012 or newer
Mac Pro: Late 2013 or newer ②
② Are you lucky enough to have more than one Handoff-capable Mac? They can share, too.
To confirm whether your Mac can run Handoff, go to Apple > System Preferences > General and look for the Allow Handoff between This Mac and Your iCloud Devices ③. If you don’t see this setting, you are out of luck.
③ Does your Mac really support Handoff? Go to Apple > System Preferences > General. You want to see this setting (circled).
Get Set Up
Turn on Bluetooth:
On the Mac, go to System Preferences > Bluetooth and click the Turn Bluetooth On button ④.
④ Click the Turn Bluetooth On button to enable Bluetooth on your Mac.
On an iOS device, tap Settings > Bluetooth and turn on the Bluetooth switch ⑤.
⑤ On your iOS device, turn on the Handoff switch.
Make sure Macs and iOS devices are all signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID. On the Mac, you can check this in System Preferences > iCloud. On an iOS device, tap Settings > iCloud.
Turn on Handoff on the Mac by going to System Preferences > General and checking the Allow Handoff between This Mac and Your iCloud Devices box.
Turn on Handoff on an iOS device by tapping Settings > General > Handoff & Suggested Apps and turning on the Handoff switch (shown in the above figure). (If you don’t see this switch, the device isn’t compatible with Handoff.)
Make sure that both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network:
On the Mac, go to System Preferences > Network, and if needed, click the Turn Wi-Fi On button, and then check the network name.
In iOS, tap Settings > Wi-Fi and if needed, turn on Wi-Fi, and then make sure the device is connected to the same network as your Mac.
Apple also suggests that on your iPhone, you go to Settings > Phone and confirm that the Wi-Fi Calling option is off.
Switch Devices
When you’re ready to move from one device to another, leave the app you’re using in the foreground. Then:
Check that your Mac and iOS device (or two Macs) are within Bluetooth range of each another—no more than 33 feet (roughly 10 meters) apart. It shouldn’t matter if your iPhone or iPad is inside a pocket, purse, or backpack.
If you’re moving to an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, an activity icon for the app you were working on appears at the bottom-left edge of the Lock screen ⑥. Swipe up from this.
⑥ Your iPhone displays a small activity icon—in this case Safari—at the bottom left of the Lock screen. Swipe up from this icon.
Or, if your iOS device is already unlocked, double-press the Home button to open the multitasking display. A Handoff icon should appear at the very bottom of the screen ⑦.
⑦ Double-press your iPhone’s Home button to jump to the App Switcher screen. The Handoff icon appears at the bottom left.
If you’re moving to a Mac, an activity icon for the app (with a tiny device icon on it) appears in the Dock ⑧. Click this to jump to your spot.
⑧ On your Mac, you see an activity icon in the Dock, like this one for Maps.
Or, if you like to keep your hands on the keyboard, when the activity icon appears in the Dock, press Command-Tab to reveal the Application Switcher. Hold the Command key and press Tab until the activity icon highlights. Release the keys to jump to your spot.
Troubleshoot Handoff
Handoff works like magic, unless it doesn’t. If nothing happens, here’s what to do next:
Double-check settings: Go back to Get Set Up and make sure you didn’t miss something.
Check the app: The app you’re using may not be compatible with Handoff. Apple apps that work on both the Mac and iOS include Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Maps, Messages, Notes, and Safari. On the Mac, you can also use Keynote 6.5 and newer, Numbers 3.5 and newer, and Pages 5.5 and newer. In iOS, you can also use Phone, as well as Keynote, Numbers, and Pages 2.5 and newer.
Sign out and back in to iCloud: On the Mac, go to System Preferences > iCloud, and click Sign Out. Once you’ve signed out, go back to System Preferences and sign back in.
In iOS, go to Settings > iCloud, scroll down and then tap Sign Out. Follow the instructions, and then enter your password and tap Turn Off. Once the process is done, go back to iCloud settings and sign back in.
Turn Handoff Off
To disable Handoff on an iOS device, tap Settings > General > Handoff & Suggested Apps and then toggle the Handoff switch to off.
To disable Handoff on your Mac, go to System Preferences > General, and uncheck the Allow Handoff between This Mac and Your iCloud Devices box.
