Frequently asked questions

Sidecar requires both your Mac and your iPad to be signed in to the same Apple ID. Lightspan doesn't. Beyond that, the experience is similar — your iPad becomes a real second display, and you drag windows onto it.

Not noticeably. Modern Macs have a dedicated chip for video encoding, which Lightspan uses instead of the CPU. Expect roughly 3% CPU on M-series Macs and a few percent more on Intel.

To create a real virtual second display on macOS, the Mac app uses a system API that App Store apps aren't allowed to use. Other iPad-as-display apps (Duet, Astropad, BetterDisplay) ship as direct downloads for the same reason. The Mac app is signed by Apple, so macOS opens it without a warning.

Same Wi-Fi network is fastest, including a phone hotspot. Or just plug in a USB-C cable — no network is required at all.

Your iPad receives the display from your Mac — that's it. Pencil input back to the Mac isn't supported.

One iPad per Mac. Connecting more than one iPad at the same time isn't supported.

Yes. Any iPad that runs iPadOS 16 or newer will work — that goes back to the iPad (5th generation), iPad mini 4, iPad Air 2, and any iPad Pro.

Yes. The connection is peer-to-peer between your Mac and your iPad, encrypted with TLS. Your screen content never goes through any of our servers — we don't have any.

The first time an iPad connects, your Mac shows a system notification asking whether to allow it. You click Allow, and the iPad is remembered from then on. No Apple ID, no QR code, no password.

Yes. Audio forwarding can be toggled on from the Mac menu bar — system audio is sent to the iPad along with the video.

Supported. Buy once, share with up to five family members through Apple's Family Sharing — at no extra cost.