The Sailmode app will let you see and control your Mac from an iPhone Duo, iPhone or iPad, and it is in testing and close to release. You need iOS or iPadOS 27.1 or later and a Mac with Apple silicon, and the Mac app is free.
Sailmode began on the iPhone Duo, where you fold the phone partway and stand it on a table to get your Mac’s screen on top and a keyboard below, like a tiny laptop. The app also works on other iPhones and iPads, each with its own layout. It joins DuoBook and Yosei as a remote desktop app built for the iPhone Duo.
The Sailmode app shows your Mac
Your iPhone or iPad shows your Mac’s screen with a Mac keyboard and trackpad below it, so you can type, click and scroll as if you were sitting at your Mac. The keyboard has the ⌘ and ⌥ keys and the function row, and the trackpad supports the gestures you already use on a Mac.
You can tap the mic and speak, and Sailmode types what you say. Your voice is turned into text on your iPhone or iPad and never leaves it. Sound from your Mac plays on your device too, and copy and paste works in both directions.
Setup needs no account or server
You start by installing Sailmode for Mac and allowing the two permissions it asks for. You then scan the code it shows with your iPhone or iPad. If your device uses the same Apple Account as your Mac, it finds your Mac without a code, and you only click Allow on the Mac.
Sailmode has no account, no server to set up, no open ports and no router settings. At home it connects over your Wi-Fi.
To reach your Mac on mobile data or a café’s Wi-Fi, you install the Tailscale app on your Mac and on your iPhone or iPad and sign in to both with the same free Tailscale account. A USB cable works when you are close to your Mac with no internet.
Data Mode controls how much mobile data you use. Full gives the sharpest picture, Light keeps text clear with much less data and Ultralight uses the least. On mobile data Sailmode starts at Light by itself and shows how much data you have used.
@sailmode has become my favourite way to use iPhone Duo.
Honestly, I can’t live without it anymore. I’ve been getting real work done with it non-stop. It’s hard to describe the experience until you try it yourself.
The first TestFlights are out. Seriously excited for you to get your hands on it.
— Atilla (@_atilla1) November 2, 2026
How Sailmode keeps your Mac locked and hidden
Everything between your device and your Mac is end-to-end encrypted, and there is no Sailmode server in between. An iPhone or iPad must be allowed on your Mac with a one-time code or your Apple Account before it can connect, and its secret key stays in the device’s security chip.
Your Mac answers only on your home networks, your own Tailscale network or a USB cable, so it stays hidden on a café’s or hotel’s Wi-Fi. A switch in your Mac’s menu bar turns Sailmode off, and you can remove any device at any time.
While you use your Mac from somewhere else, Sailmode covers its screen so nobody in the room can watch, and your Mac locks itself when you finish. Someone at the Mac can take it back by holding the space bar, but they then need your password. Sailmode has no ads, analytics or tracking.
The response to @sailmode has been overwhelming. My inbox exploded with requests and amazing feedback.
Honestly, I love working with Sailmode, even on the smaller cover display. The next build is so much better and lands in TestFlight within a few hours. https://t.co/VBW0WgFYir
— Atilla (@_atilla1) November 7, 2026
Requirements and what is still open
Sailmode needs an iPhone or iPad on iOS or iPadOS 27.1 or later and a Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later. Your Mac has to stay on, since a desktop Mac stays reachable all the time and a MacBook only while it is plugged in. If your Mac’s screen has gone to sleep, you tap the screen on your iPhone or iPad to wake it.
There is no release date yet, and Atilla, who built the app, says it is in testing and close to release. Sailmode will be a one-time purchase you own forever, or a subscription if you prefer, and the prices have not been announced.
