How to Share Your Screen With a Helper on Your iPhone

When something on your iPhone isn't working the way you expect, it helps enormously to have someone else see exactly what you're looking at. Describing a screen over the phone rarely works — "there's a box that popped up, I don't know what it says" doesn't give your daughter, son, or a Porchswing technician much to go on.

FaceTime has a feature that lets you share your screen with a trusted person during a regular video call. Once you turn it on, they can see your iPhone screen in real time and tell you exactly where to tap, without you having to describe anything at all.

This comes up most often with a confusing pop-up, a setting that changed on its own, or an app that suddenly looks different after an update. Instead of trying to describe the problem in words, you simply let someone see it for themselves.

This guide walks you through how to share your screen on your iPhone, what the other person can and can't do while you're sharing, and how to turn it back off when you're finished.

What you need before you start

Screen sharing in FaceTime works on iPhones and iPads running iOS 15.1 or later — nearly every iPhone still in regular use qualifies. A few things to know before you try it:

• You and the person helping you both need an Apple device (iPhone, iPad, or Mac), and you both need to be signed into iCloud.
• You have to already be on a FaceTime call together. There's no way to turn screen sharing on ahead of time.
• Your camera turns off automatically while you're sharing your screen, so the other person sees your screen instead of your face.
• Only one person can share a screen at a time.

How to share your screen on your iPhone

1. Start a FaceTime call with the person who's helping you, the same way you normally would — open FaceTime, tap their name or number, and wait for them to answer.
2. Once you're connected, tap anywhere on the screen so the call controls appear.
3. Tap the share icon (it looks like two overlapping rectangles), usually near the top of the screen.
4. Tap Screen Sharing, then tap Share My Screen.
5. You'll see a countdown from 3 to 1. Once it reaches 1, your screen is being shared — your helper can now see your Home Screen, your Settings, and whatever app you open next.

Keep talking the whole time. The person on the other end can walk you through exactly where to go, because they're seeing the same screen you are.

What your helper can — and can't — do

This kind of screen sharing is look, don't touch. Your helper can see your screen, but they can't tap or type on it themselves. You're still the one doing the tapping, with them guiding you along the way.

If you'd rather someone take over and fix something directly instead of walking you through it step by step, that's a different kind of help — the hands-on kind. Porchswing offers that too, in person or remotely, and we also cover FaceTime and screen sharing in our technology classes if you'd like to practice it with a group before you need it.

How to stop sharing your screen

When you're finished, tap the screen to bring the call controls back, tap the same share icon, then tap Stop next to Screen Sharing. Your camera turns back on and the call returns to a normal video call.

What to do if you're stuck

If you don't see a share icon at all, make sure you're actually in a connected FaceTime call — the option only appears once the call is underway, not from the Home Screen. If it's missing even during a call, your iPhone's software may be several versions out of date, which is worth updating for other reasons too.

If the person helping you doesn't have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, screen sharing through FaceTime won't work at all, since it only connects Apple devices signed into iCloud. In that case, a phone call where they talk you through it slowly, one tap at a time, is still the simplest option.

Still stuck? Porchswing can walk you through it at your pace — call (916) 521-0065.

Common questions

Does screen sharing work with Android phones?

No. Screen sharing in FaceTime only works between Apple devices — iPhone, iPad, or Mac — and both people need to be signed into iCloud.

Will the other person see my passwords as I type them?

They'll see anything visible on your screen, including a password as you type it, since they're watching the same screen you are. If you need to enter one, it's fine to pause sharing first, or simply type it without saying it out loud.

Can I share my screen on a regular phone call instead of FaceTime?

No. Screen sharing only works during a FaceTime video call — not a regular phone call and not a FaceTime audio-only call.