Setup guide
Connecting your phone
SeamDroid works in two modes. Start with the basic mode — it only needs the app on your phone. Turn on the full mode whenever you want the phone's screen on your computer. Requires Android 11 or later; the phone and the computer must be on the same Wi‑Fi network.
| Basic mode | Full mode | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | The SeamDroid app on the phone | Plus wireless debugging (developer options) |
| Clipboard | Computer → phone automatically; phone → computer with one tap | Both ways automatically |
| Files | Both ways | Both ways |
| Notifications with replies | With a subscription | With a subscription |
| Screen, mouse and keyboard, audio | — | Yes |
The mode switches by itself: the computer uses whatever the phone currently offers. If debugging goes away, the phone stays connected in the basic mode.
01Basic mode: app and pairing
- Install SeamDroid on the computer (download) — it starts with your session and lives in the system tray.
- Install the SeamDroid app on the phone: download the APK on the phone, open it and allow the installation — Android asks once for permission to install apps from your browser.
- On the computer, open the tray → Settings… → Phones → Add phone. A QR code and six digits appear.
- Point the phone's camera at the QR code. Or, in the app, tap Add computer, enter the six digits and pick the computer.
- In the app, go through the check screen from top to bottom: every item marked ✗ has a button that fixes it (notification access, running in the background, SMS).
SeamDroid sets up the computer's firewall by itself. If the phone can't reach the computer, open Settings → Diagnostics on the computer and press Open port.
02Clipboard and files
Text copied on the computer appears on the phone by itself. In the other direction Android doesn't let background apps read the clipboard, so in the basic mode you send it with one tap:
- the Clipboard → PC tile in the quick settings panel;
- the button in SeamDroid's notification;
- Share → To computer from any app.
In the full mode the phone's clipboard reaches the computer automatically.
Files: on the phone, Share → To computer (they land in Downloads); on the computer, Send file… in the tray (Linux) or on the phone's card in Settings (Windows).
03Battery and autostart
Without these settings the connection drops after 2–3 minutes because HyperOS freezes background apps.
- Open the SeamDroid app on the phone → Battery settings → No restrictions. The same setting is in Settings → Apps → SeamDroid → Battery saver → No restrictions.
- On the same screen, turn on Autostart; otherwise the app won't start after the phone restarts.
04Full mode: developer options optional
The full mode adds the phone's screen in a window, mouse and keyboard control and the phone's audio on the computer. It works over wireless debugging.
Open Settings → About phone and tap Build number seven times. In the new Developer options section, turn on USB debugging and Wireless debugging.
- Tap OS version (or MIUI version) seven times in About phone. Developer options are under Settings → Additional settings.
- Install via USB — turn it on, otherwise the computer can't update the app on the phone.
- USB debugging (Security settings) — required for mouse and keyboard control and for wireless debugging to turn on by itself. Requires signing in to a Mi account (sometimes also a SIM card with mobile data). Restart the phone after turning it on.
05Full mode: connecting
On the computer, open Settings… → Phones → Add phone → Full mode (for a phone that's already connected: Enable full mode). Pair debugging in one of two ways:
- QR code. On the phone, go to Wireless debugging → Pair device with QR code and point the camera at the code on your computer screen.
- Pairing code. On the phone, go to Wireless debugging → Pair device with pairing code and enter the six digits on your computer. The address can be left empty.
You can also use a cable: plug in a USB cable and allow debugging on the phone, checking Always allow from this computer.
From then on SeamDroid sets up and updates the phone by itself and turns wireless debugging on whenever the phone joins the network or restarts. If the network is new, Android asks whether to trust it — answer Yes.
06Calls on your computer optional
Incoming calls show up on the computer with a subscription. On Linux you can also talk through the computer's headset: the call audio goes over Bluetooth. In SeamDroid settings, open Calls → Connect via Bluetooth and confirm the same pairing code on the phone. In the phone's Bluetooth settings, make sure Calls is enabled for this computer.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| The phone doesn't connect or can't find the computer | Both on the same Wi‑Fi network? Guest Wi‑Fi and many corporate networks isolate devices. On the computer: Settings → Diagnostics → Open port |
| The app shows items marked ✗ | Press the button next to each one — it opens the right Android screen |
| Notifications arrive, then stop | Battery → No restrictions and Autostart |
| No notifications at all | Notifications on the computer need a subscription; check the key in Settings → Subscription |
| The screen is visible but mouse and keyboard don't work | Xiaomi: USB debugging (Security settings), then restart the phone |
| The full mode doesn't come back after a network change or restart | Is Wireless debugging on? Xiaomi: USB debugging (Security settings) and Autostart |
| The first SMS reply isn't sent | Allow Send SMS on the phone if the system asks |
The app is installed from the site: download it on the phone and allow the installation. In the full mode the computer keeps it up to date by itself; if that fails, install the latest version by hand.