Both iPhone and Mac are Apple products, and they are designed to work in sync with each other. You’ll enjoy seamless integration whenever you have paired your iPhone with your Mac. Although they both work amazingly when connected, you have to eventually unsync them, and there are several ways to do so. Here we will cover all the methods on how to disconnect iPhone from Mac. So, let’s dive in.
Method 1: How to eject your iPhone from Mac
It appears on the Finder app when you plug in your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable. To disconnect your iPhone from your Mac, you don’t have to eject or click on anything on your Mac. You have to eject your iPhone from Mac by disconnecting the USB cable between them. This simple act will be sufficient. However, if you still see your iPhone device name appear on your Mac’s Finder app, then you have WiFi configured it. Therefore, you must unlink your iPhone from your Mac using the following technique.
Method 2: How to disconnect iPhone from Mac using the Finder app
You can configure your Mac’s Finder application to recognize your iPhone over a WiFi network. So, if you no longer want your iPhone to remain connected to your Mac, then check out the steps below.
Here’s how to disconnect iPhone from Mac with the Finder app:
- Open your Mac’s Finder application.
- Next, select your iPhone device from the left-side panel of your Finder window.
- Then under the Options: section, uncheck the box for the Show this iPhone when on WiFi.
Method 3: How to disconnect your iPhone Personal Hotspot from Mac
Your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot feature allows it to connect to the internet by connecting to a WiFi network. If you have made your Mac available to be recognized by the personal hotspot, it will appear on your iPhone.
Steps on how to disconnect iPhone Personal Hotspot from Mac:
- First, hit the Apple menu in the top-left corner.
- Next, select the System Preferences option from the menu.
- Then head over to Network > WiFi.
- After that, uncheck the box for Ask to join Personal Hotspots.
Method 4: How to unpair iPhone from Mac by disabling Bluetooth
You could connect your iPhone and Mac via Bluetooth, which is a technology used to establish connections between devices. However, if you can connect your iPhone and Mac with Bluetooth, you can also disconnect.
Here are the steps to unpair your iPhone from Mac by disabling the Bluetooth:
- On the top-left corner, hit the Apple menu.
- Next, select System Preferences from the menu.
- Then on the System Preferences window, click on Bluetooth.
- On the Bluetooth window, click on the X icon located next to your iPhone device name.
- After that, select Remove to unpair your iPhone from your Mac.
If the Mac is not yours, then you can unpair the Mac from your iPhone’s Bluetooth settings. For this, head over to your iPhone’s Settings and select Bluetooth. After that, hit the (i) or Info icon next to your Mac’s name. Then you’d need to tap on Forget This Device to unpair the Mac from your iPhone.
Method 5: How to disconnect iPhone from Mac by disabling AirDrop
AirDrop is an Apple wireless service that uses Bluetooth and point-to-point WiFi connection to quickly transfer files between iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. The key advantage of this file transfer method is that you don’t need a WiFi connection or a cellular network.
Here are the steps to stop your Mac from appearing in AirDrop on your iPhone:
- Open the Finder application on your Mac.
- Next, select AirDrop from the left sidebar.
- After that, click on the Allow me to be discovered by: option and set it to No One.
If you don’t want your or any Mac devices to appear on your iPhone’s AirDrop then you should do it from the Settings. Here’s how:
- Open your iPhone’s Settings.
- Next, head over to General > AirDrop.
- Then select the Receiving Off option. This will also prevent you from receiving files from other devices.
Method 6: How to unsync iPhone from Mac by disabling iCloud storage services
By unsyncing iCloud from both your iPhone and Mac will stop sharing photos, videos, contacts, etc., between them. If you want, you can disable the iCloud services from your Mac and your iPhone.
Here’s how to unsync iCloud from Mac:
- On the top-left corner, hit the Apple menu.
- Then choose System Preferences from the menu.
- Next, on the System Preferences window, select Apple ID.
- After that, uncheck the checkboxes for services that you don’t want on your Mac, such as Photos, Videos, Calendar events, etc.
Alternatively, you can unsync iCloud from your iPhone. Here’s how:
- Open your iPhone’s Settings.
- Then tap on your Apple ID.
- Next, head over to iCloud.
- Afterward, switch off the toggle for the services that you’d want to disable.
Method 7: How to disconnect iPhone from Mac by disabling Handoff
Handoff is a functionality that lets you start a task on one device, carry it over, and finish it on another. So, you can use this feature to continue any activity from your iPhone to your Mac or vice versa.
Here’s how to disable Handoff on your Mac:
- Click on your Mac’s Apple menu located in the top-left corner.
- Then select System Preferences from the menu.
- Next, under the System Preferenceswindow, head over to General.
- After that, you need to uncheck the box for the Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices option.
If you want to disable Handoff from your iPhone but not your Mac, follow the steps below.
- On your iPhone Settings, head over to General.
- Next, tap on AirPlay & Handoff.
- After that, disable the toggle switch for Handoff.
Method 8: How to unsync iPhone messages from Mac
If you have enabled it, you’ll also receive text and iMessages on your Mac as would on your iPhone. This feature lets you check your iPhone messages from your Mac. However, you can disable this feature to stop getting your iPhone messages on your Mac. There are two ways to prevent getting messages for your iPhone on your Mac.
Here’s how to unsync your iPhone messages from your Mac:
- Open the Messages application on your Mac.
- Next, click on the Preferences menu.
- Then select the iMessage tab.
- After that, uncheck the boxes for every phone number or email listed under the You can be reached for messages at: section.
There is another way to unsync your iPhone messages from Mac. However, you can perform this action from your iPhone, and it doesn’t require you to use the Mac. For this, head over to your iPhone’s Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding. Next, disable the Mac device listed here.
Method 9: How to disconnect your incoming iPhone calls on your Mac
If you have enabled your Mac to ring when you get incoming phone calls on Mac, and it bothers you, then you can disable it. You can enable this feature for both your standard voice calls and FaceTime calls.
Here’s how to disconnect incoming iPhone calls on your Mac:
- Open the FaceTime app and head over to the Preferences menu.
- Next, click on the Settings tab under the Preferenceswindow.
- Here you should uncheck the box for Calls from iPhone option.
Alternatively, you can stop your Mac from receiving incoming calls from your iPhone. Here’s how:
- Open your iPhone’s Settings.
- Next, head over to Phone > Calls on Other Devices.
- After that, disable the toggle switch for Mac.
Method 10: How to remove your iPhone from Apple ID on Mac
Another way to disconnect an iPhone from Mac is by removing the Apple ID that is shared by both devices. As long as the iPhone and Mac have the same Apple ID, both devices would be linked somehow. So, by logging out from the Apple ID on your Mac, you can thus unlink from your iPhone. Or you can log out from your Apple ID on your iPhone instead. Both of methods work.
Here’s how to remove your iPhone from Apple ID on Mac:
- Click on the Apple menu from the upper-left corner.
- Next, select System Preferences from the options.
- Then on the System Preferences window, go to Apple ID.
- After that, select your iPhone device from the sidebar and click on the Remove from account button.
Concluding remarks
Here we have covered everything there is on how to disconnect iPhone from Mac. However, if you know any other way to unlink your iPhone from your Mac, let us know.
Furthermore, we have also covered topics which includes connecting two devices together. So, if you are interested, then you could check out how to connect Alexa to iPhone without WiFi, or connect Blue Yeti mic to iPhone.