How can I remotely control an iPhone from a Mac?

I'm looking for a way to be able to remotely access an iPhone. I have moved fairly far from home for college, and would like to help my parents with various problems they have on their phones. It would be much easier if I could fix problems for them instead of trying to explain the solution. I would prefer to do it from a mac, but could also do it from another iPhone. I will not have physical access to the device for the foreseeable future.

I have already tried Apple Configurator and Jamf. Apple Configurator requires physical access to a device, and Jamf only allows editing certain settings (security, email, wifi, etc.). Any ideas would be a great help.


An iPad or iPod Touch and FaceTime is the best solution. Any old book or stand can prop the latter to show what’s on the former screen in real time to you.

Nothing else compares for ease of setup, quality and responsiveness.