By: Frank Engelman | Posted: August 27, 2021 | Updated: April 18, 2023
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The Problem to be Solved
Parent’s Computer or Phone “Not Working”
Helping family members who are technology-adverse, with their technical problems, has always been tough, but becomes even harder when they are remotely located or in an isolated facility. Part of the problem of remote support is “seeing” what they are seeing and “controlling” what they are doing.
If you’ve had problems trying to explain to your remote loved one how to setup or use an application on their iPhone or iPad while talking to them on the phone, you may want to consider a solution that allows you to remotely view what is being shown on their screen. You can do that using Zoom.
If you’ve had problems trying to explain to your remote loved one how to setup or use an application on their iPhone or iPad while talking to them on the phone, you may want to consider a solution that allows you to remotely view what is being shown on their screen. You can do that using Zoom.
If you are familiar with hosting Zoom meetings, you may already know how to share your screen with attendees. But did you know that you can configure your non-paid Zoom account to allow attendees to share their screen?
This is a great way to see exactly what your loved one is seeing on their iPhone/iPad when they are having difficulties.
Of course, you will need to get them to install the Zoom app on their device, but they do not need to create a Zoom account.
Here is how to view your loved one’s screen (on an iPhone or iPad for example) using Zoom.
How To Instructions
Follow these steps.
Meeting Host Instructions (One time setup)
Use a web browser to log into Zoom with your Zoom account
Preparing your iPhone/iPad for screen sharing (One time setup)
Tap Settings
Tap Control Center
If Screen Recording is NOT showing up under “Included Controls”
Scroll down to “More Controls”
Tap the “+ next to “Screen Sharing”
Verify that it now shows up under “Included Controls”
Once that is setup, you perform the following steps during each Zoom meeting
While in the meeting and when the Host says that sharing is enabled
Tap the screen to show the menu bar
Tap the “share content” icon
Tap “Screen”
Tap “Start Broadcast”
Tap the iPhone/iPad “Home button”
You can now see your loved one’s screen
You can end the sharing for your loved one or they can double-click to bring up this screen.
Tips & Tricks
This may seem complicated at first, but after a while the on-screen prompts will make sense
If you experience problems setting this up, please review the latest Zoom meeting IOS support article.
*Disclosure: The research and opinions in this article are those of the author, and may or may not reflect the official views of Tech-enhanced Life.
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Retired Intel Engineer wanting to share DIY technology tips for the children of parents wanting to remain living independently. I like posting ideas and answering technical questions. If a product or software has an issue making it hard for seniors to use, I try to offer workarounds and also try to contact the manufacturer for solutions. I write a column for this website in the Innovation- Homebrew Solutions & Ideas section
