Hello! I’d like to ask about remotely taking control of someone’s MacBook. I once tried the native macOS option with VoiceOver, but it was inaccessible. The screen reader didn’t detect the notification asking for permission to take control. Moreover, even when someone sighted clicked on the notification, VoiceOver didn’t read what I was doing on the controlled Mac. Am I doing something wrong, or is this feature simply inaccessible to screen readers? For example, is an app like TeamViewer accessible with a screen reader on macOS? Can it be used to control another MacBook? I’d be grateful for any information. Such an option would be very useful for helping someone and checking how their computer is functioning.
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Try Remote Incident Manager (RIM)
I haven't tried it yet, but apparently Remote Incident Manager (RIM) is fully accessible on a number of platforms, including the Mac.
https://pneumasolutions.com/products/rim/
RIM works though I've heard…
RIM works though I've heard of ongoing issues with Sequoia and I only tried it on Sonoma. It's a shame that we can't use apple built-in remote control over facetime with voiceover (as far as I know).
Jump desktop.
Jump desktop.
Thanks, guys, for the responses.
I haven’t tried the FaceTime option yet, but it probably won’t work either. I have no illusions about that, but maybe I’ll get a chance to play around with it a bit later today. As for sharing my computer, I tried it once through Messages. The problem was that VoiceOver wouldn’t read what was happening on my friend’s computer; instead, it was reading what I was clicking on my own. It was as if VoiceOver was living its own life on my MacBook.
It’s a shame it doesn’t work because, as is often the case with Apple, it’s usually very easy to do. Unlike anywhere else, there’s no messing around with access keys or anything like that, like with NVDA Remote, for example. Well, I’ll try to gather some more information before downloading the programs you recommended.
Olie, I don’t fully understand what you mean.
jump desktop
I have downloaded jump desktop on the mac but i am having difficulty trying to connect it keeps saying connection refused.
Regarding taking control of another MacBook...
A few days ago, I tested screen sharing and remote control with a friend. I was curious if it was actually accessible. I had heard on a podcast that it is indeed possible.
So, starting from the very beginning, you first need to open a conversation with the person whose MacBook you want to control. To do this, open the menu and select the option for a conversation. Next, click on the “Request Screen Sharing” option. Once you do this, a FaceTime call will be initiated. The other person needs to accept it by clicking the “Accept” button. Once the connection is established, the person whose computer you want to control clicks the “Share” option in the FaceTime window. When they do this, different sharing options will appear, such as sharing an app window or the entire computer. They should select “Entire Computer.” At this point, the person taking control will need to interact with the toolbar in the Screen Sharing app, select the “Take Control” button, and disable their screen reader. Yes, VoiceOver must be turned off on the MacBook of the person who wants to take control. After turning off the screen reader, you should press the spacebar.
The person whose computer is being shared will then need to click the “Allow” option. From that moment, you can control the other MacBook. However, there is one significant drawback to this feature, in my opinion. While you have control over the other MacBook, a window will display the contents of the controlled MacBook. If you accidentally move the mouse outside of this window, you will lose control and return to your own Mac. To regain control, you need to move the mouse using the trackpad about halfway across its length and click it. This action will bring you back to the shared window, allowing you to resume control of the second MacBook.
One more note: if you have Caps Lock set as the VoiceOver modifier key, it will not function as expected in this mode. It will behave like a standard key for sighted users. Keep this in mind. Additionally, there are delays when using this feature to navigate on the second MacBook. However, these delays are not significant enough to greatly hinder your work on the other device.
Finally, one last note: I’m not entirely sure if the settings will have the exact names I’ve mentioned here. I use a system in a language other than English, so please keep that in mind.