How To Use iPad, iPhone, Mac As A Teleprompter

With videos continuing to be the norm, brands and creators are increasingly looking for ways to make their speech delivery smooth yet engaging.

Of course, having notes or cue cards helps. But they aren't as discreet. Plus, when you look at a cue card or signal card, you lose direct eye contact with your audience.

This is where a teleprompter steps in with its ability to help you maintain eye contact as you speak. Now, you don't have to splurge to invest in a teleprompter. Instead, you can easily create videos, give presentations, go live or attend live conferences/calls, etc., using your iPad, iPhone, Mac as a teleprompter.

Who would have thought you could turn these powerful devices into teleprompters and maximize efficiency as you create videos. Oh, and avoid those funny bloopers too!

In this guide, we'll learn how to use Apple iPad, iPhone, Mac as a teleprompter to deliver scripts/speeches smoothly while maintaining eye contact with your audience.

What Is A Teleprompter?

A teleprompter (also commonly known as an Autocue) is a device that provides a presenter visual access to a script as they speak. As it doesn't need the presenter to look down while delivering their speech, a teleprompter helps maintain direct eye contact with the audience.

Ever wondered how the newsreaders and politicians deliver those perfect speeches? Well, those are some teleprompters at work! These days, vloggers, live streamers, speakers, coaches, singers, and even stage performers take the aid of teleprompters to avoid forgetting lines or going blank.

So, if you are venturing into the world of videos and have always been an off-camera person, using a teleprompter can give you the confidence you need to engage your audience.

Even pros can benefit from a teleprompter by keeping their conversation on track and avoiding digressing from the topic (which is incidental to becoming an expert at facing the camera).

If you have an iOS or macOS device, you don't even have to invest in a separate teleprompter device. Instead, you can use an iPad, iPhone, or Mac as a teleprompter and give those notepads and cue cards a break while adding a professional approach to your on-screen presence.

How To Use iPad, iPhone, Mac As A Teleprompter

1. Using The Pages App

Turn on your device and open the "Pages" app. Then, select the document you want to read or create one.

Next, tap the "More" (three-dot) icon on the document's top right.

Now, on the pop-up screen, scroll to go to the "Presenter Mode" and click it.

Your iPhone or iPad is now a teleprompter!

Position it right and adjust the settings to suit your preferences.

How To Change Settings In The Presenter Mode

Tap the “Aa” button on the top right.

To change the font size, tap the small and large As. You can also change the background/text color by tapping the colored circles below the font size.

There are also options to choose a different font style or go for all caps. And, you can even customize elements like line spacing and margins for easy readability.

How To Enable Automatic Scrolling In The Presenter Mode

The Pages app lets you scroll the text manually or automatically in the Presenter Mode. To turn on Automatic Scrolling, tap the "Aa" button on the top right.

Now, turn on the toggle switch next to the "Auto Scroll" tab. It will be orange when on.

You can also adjust the auto scroll speed by moving the slider beneath it.

To pause the Auto Scroll feature, tap the screen. You can restart the feature by tapping the screen again.

2. Using A Third-Party App

The free Pages app is a great tool, but if you need a more feature-rich tool, consider a third-party app to use your iPad, iPhone or Mac as a teleprompter.

Here are some of our top recommendations:

Teleprompter

Teleprompter's ease-of-use makes it one of the most popular third-party teleprompter apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPad touch. Overall, it does a terrific job at helping you read a script and yet sets the bar high in terms of features.

From video recording inside the app, setting the playback's speed and time, mirroring the playback vertically and horizontally, to controlling the playback by using your Bluetooth keyboard as a remote – there's a lot you can do with the Teleprompter.

PromptSmart Lite

Imagine an app that scrolls the text as you speak. And when you pause, it pauses too! Well, that's what PromptSmart does with its patented VoiceTrack™ speech recognition technology. It's so amazing that if you go off-script or ad-lib, it will wait for you to return to the teleprompter text before scrolling again.

Designed for iPad and iPhone, the PromptSmart Lite is your best bet if you are looking for a free app. However, you can also upgrade to PromptSmart Pro for $19.99 and unlock the app's full features.

Speakflow

Another popular choice for a teleprompter solution is the web-based tool Speakflow. The tool works on almost any device without requiring any downloads. So, if you want to use an iPad, iPhone, or Mac as a teleprompter, this is a fantastic option.

Besides helping you reduce your production time and costs, it also makes collaboration easy. So, you can use Speakflow to collaborate with your team. There's also a feature to sync multiple screens. Moreover, you can use the overlay mode to see what's on the screen as you read your scripts.

The free version lets you use Speakflow with unlimited scripts, auto scroll, and limited use of voice-activated scroll and video recording & sharing. However, to access all the features like text mirroring, bookmarking, etc., you can upgrade to a paid plan starting at $10/month.

3. Using A Luna Display

Alright, so this list would have been incomplete without mentioning the awesome Luna Display. You can use Luna Display's teleprompter mode with an iPad/Mac and a teleprompter (beam splitter) to read the text as you speak.

The Teleprompter Mode automatically flips your display image to give the correct image orientation while using a beam splitter.

All you need to do is plug the Luna Display into your device and open the (updated) Luna Mac and iPad apps. Now, enable "Teleprompter Mode" by going to Preferences > Advanced in the Luna primary app and then checking the "Enable Teleprompter Mode" box.

Source: Astropad

And that's it. Now, your device's display will appear upside-down to be used as a teleprompter.

Ready To Use iPad, iPhone, Mac As A Teleprompter?

When it comes to being on-screen, your content delivery is vital. From the way you present your thoughts to the pauses you take, every aspect of your on-screen presentation impacts its overall value. That's why we recommend a teleprompter to elevate your on-screen presence

The best ways to use an iPad, iPhone, or Mac as a teleprompter are simple and easy to set up. Above all, they help you deliver a speech without the umms and ahhs. With your iOS and macOS devices frequently doing more than ever, you can use them to add confidence to your online speeches or simply for professional advancement.

On that note, if you use a DSLR or mirrorless camera for video production, we recommend using a dummy battery to keep your camera on for hours without overheating. Read more on using a dummy battery in this guide and improve and accelerate your video production.