You have probably heard of or used the Reflector app before. Reflector lets you mirror your iPhone and iPad display to a Mac or PC. Squirrels rolled out Reflector 2 a few days back boasting some great improvements and we are going to take a deeper look at all of them now.
Getting started is real easy. Download and install the Reflector 2 software to your Mac or PC and you are good to go right away.
Reflector converts your computer into an AirPlay receiver and since the AirPlay feature is built into iOS devices, there is no need to install any additional apps on your mobile device. Just pull up the Control Centre, select AirPlay and you’ll see your Mac’s name. Tap, toggle mirroring and there you go!
Your iPhone screen pops up on the Mac, bound by a frame corresponding to the device you are using. The broadcast quality is excellent and without any stutters, while the visuals are always real time, which is kind of indispensable for most users.
Reflector 2 works with both orientations and can pick up different output resolutions based on your choice.
One of the enhancements boasted by the Reflector 2 update is the smart layouts feature. When you have multiple devices connected, it arranges the displays automatically for best visual appeal. To be honest, this simple tweak seems to be very underrated. Especially when toggling between landscape and portrait modes or toggling between devices and while recording screens, this nifty feature is really handy to keep things tidy.
Talking about the recording feature, it works like a charm. The output is quite flexible and comes out just as you would expect it to. Reflector 2 now brings the ability to add real-time voice over to the video recordings which I believe is a must have for app vloggers.
You can change the output resolution and fill in the remaining pixels with a color or pictures of your choice. The recording can include device frames, and can even be set to be ready for App Store preview uploads.
Not only plain mirroring of apps and games, Reflector 2 can handle other AirPlay features of Apple TV too, like setting a slideshow of pictures or streaming videos to your Mac or PC from your iPhone.
Another highlight of Reflector 2 is the Google Cast compatibility. So if you have an Android device or a Chromebook, you can mirror that to your computer, too.
Reflector 2 on Android
Also, if you are using Reflector 2 to broadcast secure content, it has specific addons like Quick connect codes, on-screen AirPlay codes and connection prompts to prevent any false connections.
Reflector also sees a companion iOS app which lets you change preferences, hide devices, toggle frames, eject devices and more, right from your iPhone or iPad.
Reflector 2 is a wonderful piece of software. It is intuitive, powerful, close to universal and most importantly, it really works. Especially the recording feature with voice-over, multiple device support and smart layout is worth every penny.
So if you are a developer, app vlogger, designer or just anybody who wants to broadcast his tiny screens to a laptop or projector, Reflector 2 can make your life a lot easier.
Reflector 2 is sold at $14.99. A free 7 day trial of a fully featured version is also available.
The post Reflector 2 Review – Turn your Mac or PC into an AirPlay receiver appeared first on What's On Iphone.