Support

Most problems come down to a permission on the Mac or the two devices being on different networks. Start with the section that matches what you see.

• Setting up
• Mac permissions
• Mac not found
• Firewalls
• Away from home
• Unlock
• Screen tab
• Forget a device
• Contact

Setting up

1. Download the Mac app from the home page, open the disk image and drag Silo 26 to Applications. Open it. It appears in the menu bar, not the Dock.
2. Install Silo 26 on your iPhone from the App Store.
3. Connect both to the same Wi-Fi, open the iPhone app and tap your Mac.
4. Check that the six-digit code on the iPhone matches the one on the Mac, then click Allow on the Mac.

Requirements: macOS 14 or later on the Mac, iOS 17 or later on the iPhone. The Mac app keeps itself up to date.

Mac permissions

Silo 26 needs two permissions on the Mac, and may ask for a third. Until the first two are granted, the Silo 26 menu shows them at the top with an Allow button.

The switch is on but the pointer doesn't move

macOS sometimes keeps an old entry after an update. In the Accessibility list, select Silo 26, remove it with the minus button, then click Allow in the Silo 26 menu again and switch it back on.

Screen Recording is on but the Screen tab stays blank

macOS applies this permission when the app starts. Quit Silo 26 from its menu, open it again, then tap Try Again on the iPhone.

Your Mac doesn't appear on the iPhone

• Is Silo 26 running on the Mac? Look for its icon in the menu bar. If the dot next to your Mac's name is red, the menu tells you why.
• Same Wi-Fi? Both devices must be on the same network. Guest networks, some mesh "isolation" settings and many office or hotel networks stop devices from seeing each other.
• Local Network access on the iPhone. Go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Local Network and turn on Silo 26. The app shows a banner when this is off.
• VPN. A VPN on either device can hide the local network. Pause it while pairing.
• Connect by address. On the Mac, open the Silo 26 menu and click Setup to see its address, for example 192.168.1.10:47800. On the iPhone, tap Connect by Address and type it in.

Firewalls

On your local network, the iPhone connects to the Mac on TCP port 47800.

• macOS firewall. If macOS asks whether Silo 26 may accept incoming connections, click Allow. To check later, go to System Settings, Network, Firewall, Options, and make sure Silo 26 is set to allow incoming connections. "Block all incoming connections" must be off.
• Other firewalls such as Little Snitch or LuLu: allow Silo 26 to accept incoming TCP connections on port 47800 from your local network.
• You don't need to open any port on your router. Internet access works through the relay instead.

Using Silo 26 away from home

1. Pair the iPhone with the Mac on your home Wi-Fi first.
2. On the Mac, open the Silo 26 menu and turn on Allow over the internet. Below the switch it should say your paired devices can reach this Mac from anywhere.
3. On the iPhone, open the app as usual. When you're connected this way, the Trackpad tab shows "Over the internet".

The Mac and the iPhone both connect out to the relay on TCP port 8443. If the Mac menu says "Can't reach the relay", the network the Mac is on is probably blocking outgoing connections to that port. Many company networks do. Home networks almost never do.

The Mac has to be awake. If it sleeps, Silo 26 can't wake it from another network. To keep it reachable, set it not to sleep while plugged in (System Settings, Battery or Energy, Options).

Everything stays end-to-end encrypted. The relay forwards data it can't read. See the privacy policy for what it stores.

Unlocking your Mac

Unlock types your own Mac login password into the lock screen for you. For it to work:

• The Mac must be locked, with you still logged in (after a lock, screen saver or display sleep). The iPhone shows "Your Mac is locked" with an Unlock button.
• After a restart or shutdown, log in at the Mac once yourself. Silo 26 starts when you log in, so it can't type at the startup or FileVault screen.
• Silo 26 needs Accessibility permission on the Mac.
• Your password must be saved on the iPhone (More, Save Mac Password) and you confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.

If you change your Mac password, update it on the iPhone: go to More, tap Remove Saved Password, then Save Mac Password and enter the new one.

The password is kept in your iPhone's Keychain, sent encrypted only when you tap Unlock, and not stored on the Mac or anywhere else.

The Screen tab

• "Try Again" or a black screen: grant Screen Recording on the Mac, then quit and reopen Silo 26 (see permissions).
• Choppy picture: open screen options on the iPhone and lower the quality. Over the internet, a lower setting usually feels much better.
• More than one display: choose which one to show in the same options.

Three- and four-finger gestures do the wrong thing

Switching desktops and showing the desktop use the Mac's standard keyboard shortcuts. If you changed them in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Mission Control, set them back to the defaults. The four-finger pinch shows all apps: App Library or Launchpad, whichever your version of macOS has.

Media controls

The Media tab's Step back and Step forward buttons send the Left and Right Arrow keys to the app in front, so the player decides how far each step goes. To move to a particular point, drag the seek bar in Now Playing.

Forgetting a device

• On the Mac: open the Silo 26 menu. Under Devices, click the options button next to the iPhone and choose Forget This Device. That iPhone can no longer connect until it pairs again on your Wi-Fi with your approval.
• On the iPhone: go to More and tap Forget This Mac.

If you sell or give away an iPhone, forget it on the Mac. To have the relay's records of your devices deleted, email us (see below).

Removing the Mac app

Open the Silo 26 menu, click Quit Silo 26, and drag Silo 26 from Applications to the Trash. You can also remove it from the Accessibility and Screen Recording lists in System Settings.

Contact

Email support@249apps.com. It helps to include:

• Your Mac model and macOS version, and your iPhone model and iOS version.
• Whether you were on the same Wi-Fi or connecting over the internet.
• What the Silo 26 menu on the Mac says at the top.

We read every message and usually reply within two working days.