Connect your camera
Alpha and ZV bodies: a7 IV, a7R V, a7C II, a6700, ZV-E10 II and the older a7 III / a6400 generation
MENUNetwork (globe tab)Sony's manuals show menus as line drawings, not photos. The pictures on this page are those drawings; the words below are what the screen says.
On the a7 IV generation the group is called Cnct./Remote Sht. On a6700, a7C II, a7CR, ZV-E1 and ZV-E10 II the same group is Cnct./PC Remote. On the a7 III generation the globe tab holds Ctrl w/ Smartphone directly.
NetworkCnct./Remote Sht.Smartphone ConnectionOpen Smartphone Connection. The camera waits for Creators' App over Bluetooth. If you follow the prompts it sets Bluetooth Function to On and the app brings up Wi-Fi later by itself.
To skip Bluetooth: on that waiting screen press the Delete (trash) button. The camera shows its SSID (DIRECT-xxxx) and password. Join it from the iPhone's Wi-Fi settings.
The a7 IV needs firmware 2.00 or later for Creators' App. Imaging Edge Mobile no longer works on it after that update.
NetworkCtrl w/ SmartphoneCtrl w/ Smartphone: OnConnectionTurn Ctrl w/ Smartphone On, then open Connection. The screen shows a QR code and the SSID DIRECT-xxxx.
On the iPhone, scan the QR code with the Camera app or pick the network under Settings › Wi-Fi and type the password shown. Always Connected keeps the link up between shots.
These bodies have no router mode for phones. Access Point Set. exists only for sending pictures to a computer.
NetworkWi-FiWi-Fi Connect: OnAccess Point Set.Pair over Bluetooth first (step 2). Then register your router under Access Point Set., or hold the router's WPS button and use WPS Push. Set Wi-Fi Connect to On.
Put the iPhone on the same router. Creators' App then reaches the camera through the router instead of the hotspot, so the phone keeps internet.
SetupUSBUSB Connection ModeRemote ShootingPlug a USB-C cable from the camera into the iPhone. On the a7 IV and newer, set USB Connection Mode to Remote Shooting (some firmware calls it PC Remote). Sel. When Connect asks each time. MassStorage and MTP only transfer files. USB Streaming turns the camera into a webcam.
On the a7 III generation it is Setup › USB Connection › PC Remote. Set Ctrl w/ Smartphone to Off first, or the camera refuses to switch.
The camera will not accept a PC-style remote session while a phone is connected over Wi-Fi. Disconnect one before starting the other.
NetworkCnct./Remote Sht.Remote Shoot FunctionRemote Shooting: OnThis is the switch that lets a computer-style controller drive the camera over a network. Sub-items: Pairing, Wi-Fi Direct Info. (the camera's own SSID for a direct link) and Access Authen. Info.
On a1, a9 III and a7R V class bodies there is also PC Remote Cnct Method: USB, Wired LAN, Wi-Fi Direct or Wi-Fi Access Point. Pick the one that matches how you plugged in.