Support

First check whether the Mac shows as “Online” or “Offline” in the list on your iPhone.

Offline: DuoDesk Host isn't running on the Mac, the Mac is asleep, or it has no internet connection.

• Make sure the DuoDesk icon is in the Mac's menu bar. If it isn't, open DuoDesk Host from Applications.
• Follow “Keep your Mac reachable” on the download page so the Mac doesn't sleep.
• After a restart, a Mac with FileVault needs someone to log in at the Mac once.

Online, but it still won't connect:

• Update both DuoDesk on your iPhone and DuoDesk Host on your Mac to the latest version and try again.
• If the phone says the Mac is waiting for Screen Recording to be confirmed, macOS is asking for that permission again and someone needs to click “Allow” at the Mac.
• If the phone says the Mac doesn't recognize this iPhone, it was probably removed on the Mac. Pair it again as described under “Pairing” below.

Still stuck? Choose “Connection Log…” in the DuoDesk menu on the Mac and send us the last few dozen lines along with a description of the problem.

No. Both just need internet access: home or office Wi-Fi, cellular, hotel and café networks all work. You don't need a VPN or Tailscale either.

DuoDesk first tries a direct, peer-to-peer connection (straight across the local network, or through the routers when you're on different networks). When that isn't possible, for example on office or coworking Wi-Fi that keeps devices from reaching each other, it switches to a Cloudflare relay on its own. Either way, the screen and your input stay end-to-end encrypted.

DuoDesk connects over UDP. A network that blocks UDP (a few corporate and public networks do) may not work; try cellular instead.

Usually there's nothing to do. When the network changes (from Wi-Fi to cellular, say) or drops briefly, the app reconnects on its own and the picture is back within seconds. Your input isn't sent while it reconnects.

Switching to another app and back also reconnects; after more than 5 minutes away you'll pass Face ID again.

Screen Recording captures the Mac's screen to send it to your iPhone. Accessibility lets the Mac carry out the taps, scrolling and typing from your phone.

Both are used only while a paired iPhone is connected. Nothing is recorded or saved.

1. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security and go to “Screen & System Audio Recording” and then “Accessibility”.
2. Check that DuoDesk Host is turned on. If it is and things still don't work, turn it off and on again; if that doesn't help, select it, click “−” to remove it, and click “Grant Access” in the DuoDesk menu to add it back.
3. After changing Screen Recording, quit and reopen DuoDesk Host.

macOS asks you to confirm screen recording again about every 30 days. If you can still see the picture on your phone when it appears, click “Allow” from the phone. If the picture is already blocked, the phone says the Mac is waiting for the confirmation, and someone needs to click it at the Mac.

Choose “Pair New iPhone…” in the DuoDesk menu on the Mac, then tap “Scan to Add Mac” on the home screen of DuoDesk on your iPhone and scan the code. Do this after getting a new phone, reinstalling the app, or if the phone was removed on the Mac.

The code works once, within 5 minutes. If the phone says it expired or was already used, choose “Pair New iPhone…” on the Mac again and scan the new one.

• Remove a phone on the Mac: the DuoDesk menu lists the paired phones. Click “Remove” and that phone can no longer connect; using it again takes a new pairing.
• Delete a Mac on the iPhone: swipe left on the Mac in the list and tap Delete.

DuoDesk Host on the Mac is too old. Get the latest version from the download page, then choose “Pair New iPhone…” in the menu again.

1. In DuoDesk's settings on your iPhone, check that “Show Claude / Codex Status in StandBy” is on (it is by default). Under it, each paired Mac has its own switch; make sure this Mac's is on too.
2. In the iPhone's Settings › DuoDesk, allow Live Activities.
3. Connect to the Mac with DuoDesk once, so the Mac knows which phone to send updates to.
4. The Live Activity appears only when Claude Code or Codex starts working on the Mac, and goes away after everything has been idle for 2 hours.

The “StandBy Panel” section of the Mac's DuoDesk menu shows the push status and how many phones have connected, which helps tell which side the problem is on.

Charge your iPhone, lock it and turn it on its side to enter StandBy. On an iPhone Duo this works both closed and open.

• Claude: Claude Code on this Mac needs to be signed in with your subscription. Run claude in Terminal and enter /login.
• Codex: sign in to the ChatGPT desktop app or the Codex CLI on this Mac.
• Usage windows your plan doesn't have (some plans only have a weekly limit) aren't shown.

DuoDesk for iPhone is a free download, and DuoDesk Host for Mac is free. Connecting to a Mac needs DuoDesk Pro, an auto-renewing App Store subscription: US$2.99 a month or US$19.99 a year, each starting with a 7-day free trial (once per Apple Account).

In other countries, the App Store shows the equivalent price in your currency before you subscribe.

You can download the app, pair your Macs and change settings. You need DuoDesk Pro only to connect: when you tap a Mac without it, DuoDesk shows the subscription options, and once you've subscribed it goes on connecting. One subscription covers every Mac you pair.

On your iPhone, open Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions and choose DuoDesk Pro. You can also get there from your account settings in the App Store, or with “Manage Subscription” in DuoDesk's settings.

Cancel at least 24 hours before the free trial or the current period ends, or the subscription renews. DuoDesk Pro keeps working until the end of that period.

Payments and refunds are handled by Apple. To ask for a refund, go to reportaproblem.apple.com.

Check that this iPhone is signed in to the App Store with the Apple Account you subscribed with, then tap “Restore Purchases” under DuoDesk Pro in DuoDesk's settings. Do the same on a new iPhone or after reinstalling the app.

If it says the Apple Account has no DuoDesk Pro subscription, look under Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions to see whether the subscription is active.

No DuoDesk account. A Mac and the phones paired with it are the whole relationship, and there's nothing to sign up for or log in to. DuoDesk Pro is bought with your Apple Account in the App Store.

The screen, your input and the clipboard are end-to-end encrypted between your iPhone and your Mac. The rendezvous service only introduces the two devices; when a direct connection isn't possible, the Cloudflare relay forwards encrypted data that nobody along the way can decrypt. See How it works and the privacy policy for details.