The app that we will use, Unified Remote, has over 100 advanced features, such as power on/power off, file browsing, and custom keyboards in its Pro version. However, the free features of the app are sufficient for using a phone as a mouse for your computer.
Download Unified Remote Server on Windows
Go to the download link and choose the latest server for your computer. The Unified Remote app supports all versions of Windows from XP onwards and is available for both 32- and 64-bit platforms. Apart from Windows, the software is also available for Mac (64-bit only), Linux, Raspberry Pi, and Arduino Yún. For Windows, 42 MB of disk space is needed. Once downloaded, you can install the server files and skip any add-ons. You must install the driver input simulation for the mouse cursor to work from your phone. Additionally, you may install the component for joystick simulation. These instructions are for a Windows laptop trackpad and keyboard only. The installation will start after you select the driver inputs. You will have the option to create a Start menu folder and desktop shortcut while adding firewall exceptions. You may get a Windows security alert as you are about to download an external driver for a keyboard/mouse. Click “Install” to proceed. Once the installation is complete, you can see Unified Remote in your system tray. As the server is not started yet, it will show a “no connections” status. For this purpose, we will install the Android app.
Install Unified Remote App on Phone
The Unified Remote app can be downloaded from the Play Store. It supports all Android versions.
Once downloaded, proceed to the app installation. It will use a registered Google address to connect with the server.
If the server was already activated as shown in the previous section, and if the phone and laptop/PC are using the same Wi-Fi connection, you will see a “connected” status.
In the next screen, go to “Basic input” to control the mouse and keyboard from the phone. The full version is a paid version with more advanced features.
As soon as the following screen is displayed, you are ready to start your browsing activity remotely from the phone itself.
The controls are very simple to use: just scroll on your phone’s screen to replicate trackpad/mouse movement on a laptop or PC.
For a left-click, tap with one finger. If you use two fingers, it will lead to a mouse right-click. To scroll the screen, drag with the two fingers. Use pinch to zoom in or zoom out. To drag the laptop screen, use long-press and move, then tap once to drag. All the click features are very intuitive and won’t take long to figure out.
This tutorial shows how to use Android’s touchscreen as a navigation interface for a Windows 10 laptop using Unified Remote. The app works quite successfully without any delays or lost connections.
Other than Unified Remote, you can use another software, Remote Mouse, to similarly connect a Windows computer via an Android app. We previously showed how it was used to operate a Mac via an Android phone.
