I use Messages' Ask to Share Screen
feature all the time to remotely debug problems on my contacts' Macs.
It's a very easy way to initiate a Screen Sharing session, does not require port forwarding, and does not require a local network / works over the internet: Does screen sharing work when not on the same local network?
Messages > select a Conversation > Details > Screen Sharing button > Ask to Share Screen
This generates a notification on the remote Mac, asking for permission: "NAME would like to view your screen".
And until that notification is accepted, your Mac will be "Waiting for response from NAME".
This works fine, and is secure, when you are remotely helping a contact who is in front of their Mac. They can decide to share their screen, and accept/decline your request.
But I would like to use the same mechanism to control my own Macs remotely. No one is sitting in front of the screen to press "Accept", so it will never connect.
How can I initiate Screen Sharing remotely via Apple ID?
- Is there any "official" way to Screen Share across networks with two Macs that are using the same Apple ID?
- Apple Remote Desktop costs $80 and probably has more features than I need.
- Back to My Mac may have provided this functionality, but was disabled in 2019.
- Can the above notification be scripted via Apple Script or similar to automatically accept Screen Sharing requests?
- If I am able to script an automatic accept, can such Screen Sharing requests be limited by Apple ID? What other security measures should be considered?