Control your Android smartphone from your desktop
Remote Control
With guiscrcpy, you can open the connection to the smartphone directly with the START SCRCPY button (Figure 2). The program should automatically detect the Android smartphone or tablet connected via a USB cable. The DEVICE LGH87094110190 IS CONNECTED field is where the application reports the mobile phone it detected. If problems occur detecting the device, run the adb devices
command in a terminal window to directly check whether the system has really found the smartphone (Listing 5).
Listing 5
Checking for Attached Devices
Guiscrcpy transmits the content of the phone display at a bit rate of up to 16000KBps (8000KBps in the default setting, which is totally fine). As options, you can enable a full-screen mode (Fullscreen), Always on Top, and Keep display off (only screen mirroring). The latter option turns off the device's screen during transmission, but the touch screen input still works.
If you are making a video that demonstrates an Android app (or if you as a developer want to explain an app function to your users), you can record the events on the display with the Record screen option. The recording is stored as an MP4 file in the current user's home directory. The Show touches option is also available for recordings: It visualizes finger taps on the display with a circle.
To capture actions typical of Android (such as pressing the Home, Menu, or Back buttons), guiscrcpy displays horizontal and vertical toolbars (Figure 3). You can use these buttons to change the display orientation, adjust the audio playback volume, or exchange texts between the smartphone and Linux desktop via the clipboard. You can position the toolbars freely on the desktop by holding down the right mouse button.
Conclusions
Installing guiscrcpy, scrcpy
, and Android tools is still a little more complicated than necessary, but the program comes with major benefits for Android developers in particular. With a few clicks, you can create videos of your smartphone screen, with which you can demonstrate your program's functions. The achievable data rate is so high that even videos played on a mobile phone can be played back on the desktop PC with practically no jitter (Figure 4).
Even non-programmers will find uses for guiscrcpy. Not every program offers a web interface like WhatsApp or Messages. Since guiscrcpy forwards mouse and keyboard input from the PC to the mobile phone, you can write a text message for an Android app on your desktop and forward it to your smartphone.
Infos
- Genymobile: https://www.genymobile.com
- scrcpy: https://github.com/genymobile/scrcpy
- guiscrcpy: https://srevinsaju.github.io/guiscrcpy/
- Snap for scrcpy: https://snapcraft.io/scrcpy
« Previous 1 2
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Endless OS 6 has Arrived
After more than a year since the last update, the latest release of Endless OS is now available for general usage.
-
Fedora Asahi 40 Remix Available for Macs with Apple Silicon
If you've been anticipating KDE's Plasma 6 for your Apple Silicon-powered Mac, then you're in luck.
-
Red Hat Adds New Deployment Option for Enterprise Linux Platforms
Red Hat has re-imagined enterprise Linux for an AI future with Image Mode.
-
OSJH and LPI Release 2024 Open Source Pros Job Survey Results
See what open source professionals look for in a new role.
-
Proton 9.0-1 Released to Improve Gaming with Steam
The latest release of Proton 9 adds several improvements and fixes an issue that has been problematic for Linux users.
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.