Pairing is what lets your phone reach your Mac directly, over your own network, without a round trip through anything in the middle. It is deliberately a two-sided handshake: the phone asks, and you approve it on the Mac.
- On the Mac, open Paired PhonesChoose Pair iPhone. A pairing code appears, along with a short confirmation phrase.
- On the phone, open Paired MacsTap Scan Mac pairing code and point the camera at the code on your Mac’s screen.
- Check the phrase matches, then approve on the MacThe phone shows you the confirmation phrase it expects. If it matches what the Mac is displaying, approve the request in Paired Phones.
- Tap Check approval on the phoneThe Mac appears in your list, and from then on it connects on its own whenever both devices are reachable.
Over Wi-Fi, or from anywhere
On the same Wi-Fi network, the two devices find each other directly. Away from home, Tailscale gives you the same direct connection over the internet — install it on both devices, join them to the same network, and pairing works exactly as it does at home.
Pairing is what makes a Direct connection possible; it does not force you onto one. Two ways to reach your Mac covers what Direct gives you, what it gives up, and when to reach for it.