Continuityis a largely unheralded gem in the crown of macOS . This feature , which first appear back in 2014 with the release ofMac OS X 10.10 YosemiteandiOS 8 , was deliberately design to get the iPhone , iPad and Mac nearer together . With persistence you could resolve earphone outcry on your Mac , share files wirelessly , create an Instant Hotspot , and use Handoff to switch over between Mac and iOS apps and seamlessly carry on from where you were .
While this is neat for many drug user , those who pluck up a Mac in 2011 or early will find that they wo n’t be capable to get to the novel features . It ’s on-key that any Mac can be used to make and receive phone calls from as early as an iPhone 4s , iPad 4 , iPad mini , or any of their later models , but for the more advanced capabilities Apple has describe the curtains .
But there is hope , as it ’s possible to get around these restrictions if you ’re jolly technical school - savvy and willing to put in a bit of work .
Why can’t older Apple Devices use features like Handoff and Instant Hotspot?
Macs and iOS devices sell before 2012 use an older case of Bluetooth , whereas the newer equipment feature Bluetooth 4.0 LE chips ( the LE stands for Low Energy ) . old chips perpetually drain the electric battery when they are connect , but Bluetooth 4.0 LE only uses significant Energy Department when it is being used , say to share files , make phone birdcall , etc .
Handoff requires a fairly consistent connector between Macs and iPhones or iPads , so old devices would find the barrage fire being drained rather rapidly if they tried to use the feature . This is a bit of a downer if your Mac is still working perfectly , but gratefully there is a way to cheat the arrangement .
What you need to add Continuity to your Mac
The first is to add Bluetooth Low Power accompaniment to your machine . This can be done by attach a USB Bluetooth dongle or upgrading the AirPort Extreme identity card in your Mac . We recommend the former as it ’s a infernal sight easier and does n’t be much at all .
you’re able to pick up Bluetooth 4.0 dongle such as the Asus BT400 , which is known to be dependable with Continuity , on Amazon for£12.95 in the UKand$14.99 in the US . Or there ’s other compatible dongle we ’ve tested in the past times , include the GMYLE Bluetooth Adapter ( £ 13.98 UK,$13.48 US ) and IOGEAR GBU521 ( £ 20 UK,$14.33 US ) .
The 2d thing is to put on theContinuity Activation Toolsoftware patch to the system . Most , but not all , older Mac modelling are supported by CAT with the improver of a USB Bluetooth dongle . At the time or writing the fleck works with models shown in the chart ( created by the CAT developers ) and lean below .
( Not indisputable which you ’ve puzzle ? Read our guide explainingHow to state which Mac you own . )
Continuity activating on early-2008 Mac Pro and mid-2007 iMacs theoretical account is potential , but they ask an AirPort Extreme upgrades as USB Bluetooth dongles wo n’t work . However , there ’s great news if you ’ve a mid-2011 MacBook Air or Mac mini . Both should bring with persistence once the patch is applied , and there ’s no need to add a USB Bluetooth dongle or new AirPort Extreme card .
CAT works with macOS 10.10 ( Yosemite ) , 10.11 ( El Capitan ) , and also 10.12 ( Sierra ) . We have seen users report winner on 10.13 ( High Sierra ) , but thing get dicey when move to 10.14 ( Mojave ) , so we ’d advise against test that at the moment .
A word of warning before continuing
For the Continuity Activation Tool to ferment it demand to hack a handful of organization file and also disable driver sign language . In other words , the overall security measure degree of your Mac will be lowered a mountain pass . This is arguably a minor concern , and a price worth paying bearing in mind the enhanced functionality you get in return , but it needs to be noted .
There ’s also the fact that you ’ll need to reapply the hack whenever you update MacOS , plus you should always ensure you have the late version of the Continuity Activation Tool . The latter is n’t too hard though , as the software was last update in 2016 .
Installing the Continuity Activation Tool
Start by creating aTime Machine backup , if potential . Then download the plot from theContinuity Activation Tool website .
Unzip the energizing tool archive , and right on - click the Continuity Activation Tool icon ( it ’s the orange circle ) , selecting Open on the menu that appears . Click Open in the duologue box that appear . You ’ll instantly be prompted to typewrite your login password .
Two command - pedigree windows will open , with one run through a serial of checks and execute a serial publication of background actions . Do n’t vex – this can be brush off in favor of the second windowpane that offer install options . choose it and tap 1 on your keyboard , which will activate persistence .
Insert the USB Bluetooth dongle when prompted , or remove and reinsert it if it ’s already plug - in . Once again , screen background check and procedures will take place , and after several minute you ’ll be prompted to reboot your Mac by again selecting the window and intercept any key . If there are trouble , you ’ll be told about them and what you could do to remedy the billet .
Setting up the Continuity Activation Tool
Once the Mac has rebooted , capable System Preferences , snap General , then put a ticking alongside Allow Handoff Between This Mac and Your iCloud Devices . On each of your iOS devices , reach the options app , tap General > Handoff & Suggested Apps , then activate the permutation alongside Handoff .
commend that for persistence to work , you ’ll need to be log into the same iCloud chronicle on your Mac and iOS devices .
If you ’re lucky everything will work on immediately . To try out app Handoff , open a varlet in Safari on an iOS twist . It should virtually immediately appear at the left field of the Dock . try out it the other way around – spread out a webpage in Safari and it should seem as an icon at the bottom left of your iOS equipment ’s ringlet screen ( just drag it up ) , or at the left hand of the app whipper that appears when you replicate - click the Home button .
If it does n’t put to work , sign out of iCloud on your Mac and your iOS equipment , then sign back in again . Try rebooting everything too .
In our tests iOS - to - Mac app handoff worked at once , but it took several hours for Mac - to - Io handoff to start working . Just be patient ! We have experienced problems getting any of the iWork apps ( Pages , Numbers , and Keynote ) to put to work consistently via Handoff , but others report similar problem even if their Macs are in full compatible with persistence .
Note that the USB Bluetooth dongle needs to stay committed to your Mac at all clock time for Continuity to work .
Uninstalling CAT
Keep the Continuity Activation Tool on your hard magnetic disc and do n’t delete the KextsBackupAfterPatch or KextsBackupBeforePatch brochure it creates in your Users folder . If you feed into problems , such as your Wi - Fi adapter not being recognised , you might choose to remove the piece .
To fix your computer to the mode it was , again start the tool and this time pick out the Uninstall option . Reboot when motivate .
