Glasspad is a free, open source (MIT) app that turns an iPhone or Android phone into a trackpad, keyboard, media remote and button deck for a Mac or Windows PC, over Wi-Fi, with no account. It has 12 modes: Trackpad, Keyboard, Media, Dock, Actions, Pinned, Macros, Clipboard, Present, Remote, Displays and Game, a game controller. Actions has ready-made buttons for more than 70 apps, Layouts put up to three modes on one screen, and there are 39 themes. Either phone works with either computer; with a PC, the phone shows only what Windows can do. It is made by Soham Aggarwal.

Yes. It is free and open source under the MIT License, with no account and nothing to buy. The code is public on GitHub under that license, so no feature in it can be moved behind a paywall later.

Is Glasspad on the App Store or Google Play?

Not yet. On a Mac, one command in Terminal builds it with Xcode and installs it on your iPhone with your free Apple ID. The Windows installer and the Android app are downloads from GitHub Releases. Every step is on the install page.

Does the iPhone app stop opening after 7 days?

Not while your Mac can reach it. With a free Apple ID, apps you install yourself stop opening after 7 days, so your Mac renews Glasspad over Wi-Fi before then. If it cannot, it tells you. The Android app and the Windows app do not expire.

What if my computer sleeps or the Wi-Fi drops?

The phone reconnects by itself when the Wi-Fi is back or the computer wakes, and says why the computer is away. The phone can also wake a Mac that has Wake for network access on (not one on battery), or a PC whose network adapter has Wake on LAN on.

Does anything leave my Wi-Fi?

Almost nothing. Glasspad pairs once with a QR code, encrypts everything, and your phone and computer talk only over your Wi-Fi. There is no account. Website buttons fetch their site's name and logo, and the Mac may fetch album artwork for what is playing.

A computer: a Mac on macOS 14 or later, or a PC on Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. A phone: an iPhone on iOS 18 or later, or an Android phone on Android 10 or later. One Wi-Fi for both. The iPhone app installs from a Mac with Xcode 26 or later, a free Apple ID and a USB cable.

Can I use an iPhone with a Windows PC?

Yes, once the iPhone app is on the phone. Apple lets you install an app from outside the App Store only from a Mac with Xcode, so the iPhone app needs a Mac for the install, and with a free Apple ID that Mac renews it every 7 days. An Android phone needs no Mac.

Glasspad

A control surface for your Mac or PC, on your phone.

Install View on GitHub

Free and open source. Mac or PC, iPhone or Android.

Made for how you use your computer.

DeskTrackpad and Actions side by side on a stand. Tap Split Screen and two windows share the display.

StudioTrackpad, Media and Actions on one screen. Final Cut Pro is in front, so Actions shows its buttons: Play, Blade, Mark In. More than 70 apps get their own.

CouchRemote over the trackpad. Its pad works like the Siri Remote: tap to pause, swipe to skip 10 seconds, up or down for volume. The keys follow the player.

PresenterPresent over the trackpad: Next and Back as big as your thumb, a timer, and a laser you steer with one finger.

StandByOn the nightstand: Clock beside Now Playing, in dim red when the room goes dark.

Feel the trackpad.

Your iPhone as a Mac trackpad: real gestures, and a tap you can feel on every click. Try it on the phone.

Move the pointer

Everything else, one touch away.

A keyboard, a remote, your Dock and more. Switch with the button at the top of the screen. The Android app has the same screens, and either phone works with a Mac or a Windows PC.

Every display, every window.

Your displays as in System Settings, with every window on them. Drag a window to another display, touch and hold to tile it, and set brightness, resolution and Night Shift.

Up to three modes at once.

Drag the divider and it rests on thirds or the middle. Save your own layouts; they sit in the mode menu.

Make Actions yours.

Pin what you use most. Touch and hold a button to change it.

Private by design.

Pair once with a QR code. Everything is encrypted, and your phone and computer talk only over your Wi-Fi.

Install with one command.

On a Mac, a script builds it and puts it on your iPhone. Windows and Android install from GitHub Releases.

Terminal

~ % curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Soham109/glasspad/main/install.sh | bash

Paste into Terminal. It waits for you at each step, and is safe to run again.

You need

Xcode 26 or later free from the Mac App Store, a large download
macOS 14 or later for the Glasspad Mac app
iOS 18 or later on your iPhone
A free Apple ID
A USB cable for the first install
One Wi-Fi for the Mac and the phone

What happens

If Xcode is missing, the App Store opens on it. Your password accepts Xcode's license and finishes its first-launch setup.
Into ~/Library/Application Support/Glasspad
Into ~/Projects/glasspad
Sign in with your Apple ID.
Xcode › Settings › Apple Accounts › +

Xcode then opens the Glasspad project. Pick your name (Personal Team).
Glasspad › Glasspad iOS › Signing & Capabilities › Team
Glasspad goes into Applications and starts in the menu bar. Switch it on in the page that opens.
System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility
Plug it in, unlock it and tap Trust.

Turn on Developer Mode. The phone restarts; unlock it, tap Turn On and enter your passcode.
Settings › Privacy & Security › Developer Mode

The script builds and installs the app. Trust it once.
Settings › General › VPN & Device Management › your Apple ID › Trust
Free installs stop opening after 7 days. Your Mac checks every hour and renews Glasspad over Wi-Fi when it is 5 days old, and tells you if it cannot.
Click the Glasspad icon in the menu bar and choose Pair Your iPhone, then scan the code with the Glasspad app or the iPhone Camera and allow Local Network. Then click Allow on your Mac.
The first time it shows song info, your Mac asks to let Glasspad control Spotify or Music.

Troubleshooting

The pointer does not move: Switch Glasspad off and on again in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility. Reinstalls can reset it.
The iPhone cannot find the Mac: Put both on the same Wi-Fi and allow Local Network in Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network › Glasspad.
The app will not open after a week: The Mac was off or away, so it could not renew. Run the command again.
Developer Mode is missing: Plug the iPhone in and run the command once. The setting appears after that.

Uninstall

Drag Glasspad from Applications to the Trash.
Delete the app on your iPhone.
Turn off automatic renewal:

~/Projects/glasspad/scripts/setup-autorefresh.sh --remove

Questions.

What is Glasspad?: Glasspad is a free, open source (MIT) app that turns an iPhone or Android phone into a trackpad, keyboard, media remote and button deck for a Mac or Windows PC, over Wi-Fi, with no account. It has 12 modes: Trackpad, Keyboard, Media, Dock, Actions, Pinned, Macros, Clipboard, Present, Remote, Displays and Game, a game controller. Actions has ready-made buttons for more than 70 apps, Layouts put up to three modes on one screen, and there are 39 themes. Either phone works with either computer; with a PC, the phone shows only what Windows can do. It is made by Soham Aggarwal.
Is Glasspad free?: Yes. It is free and open source under the MIT License, with no account and nothing to buy. The code is public on GitHub under that license, so no feature in it can be moved behind a paywall later.
Is Glasspad on the App Store or Google Play?: Not yet. On a Mac, one command in Terminal builds it with Xcode and installs it on your iPhone with your free Apple ID. The Windows installer and the Android app are downloads from GitHub Releases. Every step is on the install page.
Does the iPhone app stop opening after 7 days?: Not while your Mac can reach it. With a free Apple ID, apps you install yourself stop opening after 7 days, so your Mac renews Glasspad over Wi-Fi before then. If it cannot, it tells you. The Android app and the Windows app do not expire.
What if my computer sleeps or the Wi-Fi drops?: The phone reconnects by itself when the Wi-Fi is back or the computer wakes, and says why the computer is away. The phone can also wake a Mac that has Wake for network access on (not one on battery), or a PC whose network adapter has Wake on LAN on.
Does anything leave my Wi-Fi?: Almost nothing. Glasspad pairs once with a QR code, encrypts everything, and your phone and computer talk only over your Wi-Fi. There is no account. Website buttons fetch their site's name and logo, and the Mac may fetch album artwork for what is playing.
What do I need?: A computer: a Mac on macOS 14 or later, or a PC on Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. A phone: an iPhone on iOS 18 or later, or an Android phone on Android 10 or later. One Wi-Fi for both. The iPhone app installs from a Mac with Xcode 26 or later, a free Apple ID and a USB cable.
Can I use an iPhone with a Windows PC?: Yes, once the iPhone app is on the phone. Apple lets you install an app from outside the App Store only from a Mac with Xcode, so the iPhone app needs a Mac for the install, and with a free Apple ID that Mac renews it every 7 days. An Android phone needs no Mac.