PadswayCore SDK – Stream a Mac Screen to iPad (Swift)
Put a live Mac screen on an iPad and send touch, keyboard, clipboard and dictation back: the streaming engine from a working Mac + iPad remote app, as a Swift package.
One-time purchase.
For a company or organisation (more than one person), including in its apps as compiled code, with priority email support. One-time purchase.
What it is
PadswayCore SDK is a pure-Swift package for macOS 13+ and iPadOS 17+ that streams a Mac screen to an iPad. It captures with ScreenCaptureKit, encodes and decodes with VideoToolbox H.264/HEVC at 60 or 120 fps (Full HD), paces frames by the iPad's acknowledgements to keep lag low, and sends pointer, keys, text, Apple Pencil and clipboard back over TLS 1.2 with a per-pairing key. Full source and 550+ tests.
Quick start
swift build
swift run padsway self-test
swift testCompared with
| Tool | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RealVNC SDK | Commercial VNC SDK | Price by quote; £1 one-month evaluation |
| Splashtop OEM SDK | Commercial OEM / private label | Price by quote |
| RoyalVNC | Free open-source Swift VNC/RFB SDK | VNC protocol; no hardware HEVC pipeline |
| PadswayCore SDK | Swift package, source included | $129 one-time; ScreenCaptureKit + VideoToolbox, receiver-paced frames, TLS pairing |
FAQ
How do I stream a Mac screen to an iPad in Swift?
Add PadswayCore to both apps. On the Mac create a Pairing and start a HostSession; on the iPad decode the pairing and connect a ClientSession, then draw each CVPixelBuffer it hands you. INTEGRATION.md has the full wiring, and that code is compiled by the test suite.
Can I try it without a Mac, network or permissions?
Yes. `swift run padsway self-test` encodes 120 frames, sends them over TLS on loopback and decodes them in about 2 seconds, and ClientSession.demo() streams a simulated Mac in-process for onboarding and App Review.
Can the Mac side ship on the Mac App Store?
No. The host injects input through the Accessibility API, so it can't run sandboxed. Ship it as a signed, notarized app. The iPad side has no such limit.
Does it work over the internet?
It works on the local network out of the box. An optional bridge built on the open-source tsnet library is included as source for use without port forwarding.
What frame rate and resolution?
Full HD (1920×1080). 120 fps is requested on ProMotion iPads and 60 fps elsewhere; it is not a throughput guarantee. After a sudden network-delay jump a slow iPad can drop to about 11 fps for a few seconds.
Is it a subscription?
No. One-time purchase, full source included.
What do I get after paying?
A zip with the full source, README and runnable demo. Polar shows the download right after checkout and in the receipt email.
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One-time purchase.