You can control your Linux PC from your Android phone - here's how

1 hour ago 4
Your KDE Plasma desktop is astir  to get   a immense  upgrade with 6.6 - what's inside
Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

  • KDE Connect allows you to bash galore things.
  • With this distant app, you tin nonstop commands to Linux.
  • There's nary bounds to what you tin bash with this feature.

Smartphones and desktop/laptop connections person been helping radical for years. A batch of times, it's thing much than keeping things successful sync. You mightiness privation to support your contacts manageable successful some places. You mightiness want/need to transportation files from connected to the different (and/or vice versa).

Smartphone-to-PC connections person been helping radical for years. Many times, the payment is thing much than keeping things successful sync. Perhaps you privation to support your contacts manageable successful some places. Or you mightiness request to transportation files from 1 instrumentality to the other.

Also: 3 ways to power Linux distros without losing each your data

Or maybe -- you privation to power your Linux desktop from your Android phone. All the chill kids are doing it, and I'm going to amusement you however it's done. 

What tin you bash with this feature?

Using the KDE Connect app connected your Android instrumentality and the KDE Connect app connected your desktop, you tin nonstop commands from your telephone to bash definite things.

For example, you whitethorn person stepped distant from your machine and realized you forgot to fastener it. Or possibly you request to unopen down the computer, unfastened an app, people something, oregon play a media file. In fact, what you tin bash is constricted lone by your imagination.

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KDE Connect tin travel successful precise handy. Let maine amusement you however to make your archetypal commands to power your Linux PC from Android.

Creating your archetypal command

What you'll need: The lone things you'll request for this are KDE Connect installed connected some your Android telephone and your desktop. Do beryllium alert that, if you don't usage the KDE Plasma desktop, installing KDE Connect volition besides instal a ton of dependencies.

You tin find the Android app successful the Google Play Store.

You tin link your devices by mode of Bluetooth oregon a wireless network. I similar to spell the wireless way due to the fact that it offers much scope and is much reliable. 

To link your devices, unfastened the KDE Connect sidebar connected the Android app and pat "Pair caller device." The pairing is straightforward, truthful you won't person immoderate occupation getting it done.

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KDE Connect

If you tally into trouble, you whitethorn person to disable (or alter) your firewall for these to connect.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

This is simply a spot cumbersome, but it works. Open KDE Connect connected your telephone and click Run Command. This volition unfastened the close KDE Connect model connected your desktop oregon laptop.

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KDE Connect.

There are respective things you tin bash from the KDE Connect app.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

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In the "Run commands" window, click "Add command" astatine the apical close of the window.

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In the resulting window, springiness your bid a name, and past adhd the bid you privation to run. If you're not definite what bid to use, you tin click the drop-down and prime from the database of pre-defined commands.

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KDE Connect

There are illustration commands you tin adhd from the drop-down.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Let's accidental you privation to make a bid that volition fastener your desktop screen. To bash that, benignant thing similar "lock screen" arsenic the name, and past type loginctl lock-session for the command.

When finished, click Add, and you're done.

Using your caller command

Using your recently created bid is easy. Open KDE Connect connected your phone, pat Run Command, past pat the bid you conscionable created from the list. You should announcement that your desktop instantly locks.

KDE Connect

I'm astir to pat retired of my desktop.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Cool, eh?

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Other commands you mightiness adhd include:

  • Shutdown - systemctl poweroff
  • Reboot - systemctl reboot
  • Suspend - systemctl suspend
  • Unlock surface - loginctl unlock-screen

Here's a earnestly amusive bid to add. You tin make a bid that takes a screenshot of your desktop and automatically sends it to your phone. That bid mightiness beryllium named screen to phone, and the bid would be:

file=/tmp/$(hostname)_$(date "+%Y%m%d_%H%M%S").png; spectacle -bo "${file}" && portion ! [ -f "${file}" ]; bash slumber 0.5; done && kdeconnect-cli -d $(kdeconnect-cli -a --id-only) --share "${file}"

The bid supra depends connected the Spectacle screenshot tool. If you don't person Spectacle installed, you tin either instal it oregon set the bid truthful that it tin beryllium utilized connected your desktop.

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KDE Connect is simply a truly useful instrumentality for controlling your Linux instrumentality remotely. I would highly urge you springiness this app a effort and travel up with immoderate adjuvant commands to add.

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