How can we help?
Most questions are answered below. If yours isn’t, email us.
Email us
Tell us your Mac and iPhone models, their macOS and iOS versions, and what happened. We read every message.
Getting started
What do I need?
A Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and an iPhone with iOS 17 or later. It works on iPad too. Install Foldout for Mac from this site, and Foldout for iPhone from the App Store.
Do I need an account?
No. There’s nothing to sign up for or sign in to. Foldout Pro, if you buy it, belongs to your Apple Account through the App Store.
Pairing and the 6-digit code
How does pairing work?
The first time you tap your Mac in Foldout on your iPhone, both screens show the same 6-digit code. Check that they match, then click Pair on your Mac.
Pairing gives your iPhone and your Mac a key that no other device has. Every session after that is encrypted with it, and devices that haven’t paired can’t connect. You pair each iPhone with each Mac once; after that, tapping your Mac connects in a couple of seconds with no code.
The codes don’t match. What should I do?
Click Don’t Pair on your Mac and Cancel on your iPhone, then try again. Codes that don’t match mean the two devices didn’t reach each other directly, so something else may be in between.
Comparing the codes is what stops another device from pairing in place of yours, so it’s worth the glance every time.
How do I pair again, or forget a device?
- On your iPhone: tap ⋯ next to your Mac (or touch and hold it), then choose Pair Again or Forget This Mac.
- On your Mac: click Foldout in the menu bar, then Forget next to the device under Paired devices.
If your Mac forgets your iPhone, your iPhone notices the next time it connects and starts pairing again by itself. Your Mac still has to approve the new code.
Mac permissions
Why does Foldout need Screen Recording?
Foldout adds an extra display to your Mac, and Screen Recording is the permission macOS requires before an app can capture a display’s picture to send it to your iPhone.
Foldout only captures the extra display it makes, never your Mac’s own screens, and the picture goes straight to your iPhone, encrypted. Nothing is recorded or saved.
To turn it on, open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording (called Screen Recording on macOS 14) and switch on Foldout. Then quit Foldout and open it again.
Why does Foldout need Accessibility?
To turn your taps, swipes and pinches on the iPhone into clicks, scrolls and zooms on your Mac. macOS only lets an app move the pointer and click with Accessibility permission. Foldout doesn’t use it to read what’s on your screen or what you type.
To turn it on, open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility and switch on Foldout.
I allowed both, but Foldout still asks for them.
Quit Foldout and open it again: macOS only applies Screen Recording after the app restarts.
If it still asks, open that permission in System Settings, select Foldout and remove it with the – button. Then open Foldout and allow it again.
Why isn’t Foldout for Mac on the Mac App Store?
Making a real extra display needs system access that Mac App Store apps don’t get. So Foldout for Mac comes from this site instead. It’s signed with our Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so macOS checks it before it opens.
Wi‑Fi and the direct link
Do my iPhone and Mac need to be on the same Wi‑Fi?
No. When both are on the same Wi‑Fi network, Foldout connects over it. When they aren’t, it connects directly over the peer-to-peer Wi‑Fi link that AirDrop uses. For that, keep Wi‑Fi turned on on both devices and keep them near each other. They don’t need to join a network.
The direct link also works on hotel, café and office Wi‑Fi that stops devices from seeing each other.
Foldout on my iPhone doesn’t find my Mac.
- Foldout is open on your Mac, with its icon in the menu bar. If its panel offers Start Sharing, click it.
- Wi‑Fi is on on both devices.
- Foldout has Local Network access on your iPhone, in Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network. On macOS 15 or later, check System Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network on your Mac too.
- No VPN is in the way. A VPN on either device can block connections to nearby devices; try turning it off.
Still nothing? Email us and say what Foldout on your iPhone shows.
What happens when I lock my iPhone or switch apps?
Your Mac holds the extra display for 10 seconds, with its windows where they were. Come back within that time and you pick up where you left off. After that, the display goes away and its windows move back to your Mac’s screen. To get them back sooner, click Bring Windows Back in Foldout’s menu bar panel.
Free sessions and Foldout Pro
How long can I use Foldout for free?
Every feature works in free sessions of up to 5 minutes. Foldout Pro removes the limit. Foldout for Mac is always free.
How do I cancel or change my subscription?
Apple handles subscriptions. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Cancel at least 24 hours before it renews to avoid the next charge; you keep Pro until the end of the period you paid for.
I subscribed, but Foldout asks me to pay again.
Check that this iPhone is signed in to the Apple Account you subscribed with, then tap Restore Purchases on the Foldout Pro screen.
How do I get a refund?
Apple handles refunds for App Store purchases. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.