Install

Install Glasspad

One app on your computer, one on your phone. Pick yours and you get only the steps you need.

Your computer
Your phone

Any phone works with either computer.

Mac and iPhone

  1. Install on your Mac

    Paste this into Terminal. It builds Glasspad with Xcode, waits for you at each step, and is safe to run again.

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

    You need Xcode 26 or later, free from the Mac App Store; the script opens it if it is missing. Then sign in with your free Apple ID and allow Accessibility when asked.

  2. Install on your iPhone

    The same command does this next. Plug the iPhone in with a USB cable, tap Trust, turn on Developer Mode, then trust the app once.

    Settings › Privacy & Security › Developer Mode

    Settings › General › VPN & Device Management › your Apple ID › Trust

    Free Apple ID installs stop opening after 7 days. Your Mac renews Glasspad over Wi-Fi before then, by itself.

  3. Pair

    Click Glasspad in the menu bar and choose Pair Your iPhone. Scan the code with the iPhone Camera or Glasspad and allow Local Network, then click Allow on the Mac.

What you get: everything on this site.

Every step the command walks you through, with pictures

  1. If Xcode is missing, the App Store opens on it. Your password accepts Xcode's license and finishes its first-launch setup.

  2. Into ~/Library/Application Support/Glasspad

  3. Into ~/Projects/glasspad

  4. 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

  5. Glasspad goes into Applications and starts in the menu bar. Switch it on in the page that opens.

    System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility

  6. 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

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

Mac and Android

  1. Install on your Mac

    Paste this into Terminal. It downloads the Mac app, checks it, puts it in Applications and opens it. No Xcode needed.

    Terminal 
    curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Soham109/glasspad/main/packaging/macos/install-app.sh | bash

    Allow Accessibility when asked, so Glasspad can move the pointer.

    System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility › Glasspad

    Or download the zip, open it and drag Glasspad to Applications. macOS blocks the first open; click Open Anyway in System Settings › Privacy & Security. Both need a Mac with Apple silicon; on an Intel Mac, build it with Xcode.

  2. Install on your Android phone

    On the phone, download the app, then open the file.

    Download for AndroidVersion 0.5.0, .apk, Android 10 or later

    Android asks first, because the app is not from Google Play: tap Settings, turn on Allow from this source, go back and tap Install.

    Settings › Apps › Special app access › Install unknown apps

    On a computer right now? Open glasspad.sohamaggarwal.com/install on your phone.

  3. Pair

    Click Glasspad in the menu bar and choose Pair Your iPhone; it pairs Android phones too. Scan the code with Glasspad, allow the camera and Nearby devices if Android asks, then click Allow on the Mac.

What you get: every mode. Siri, Control Center, the Lock Screen widget and Live Activities are iPhone only.

Windows PC and Android

  1. Install on your PC

    Download for WindowsVersion 0.5.0, for Intel and AMD PCs

    Windows on Arm, such as a Snapdragon PC? Get the Arm64 installer.

    Open the installer. It is not code signed yet, so Windows may say it protected your PC: click More info, check the name is Glasspad, then Run anyway. It installs for your user, with no administrator prompt.

    More info › Run anyway

    The first time Glasspad starts, Windows asks whether it may use your network. Allow Private networks, so your phone can reach the PC.

  2. Install on your Android phone

    On the phone, download the app, then open the file.

    Download for AndroidVersion 0.5.0, .apk, Android 10 or later

    Android asks first, because the app is not from Google Play: tap Settings, turn on Allow from this source, go back and tap Install.

    Settings › Apps › Special app access › Install unknown apps

    On a computer right now? Open glasspad.sohamaggarwal.com/install on your phone.

  3. Pair

    Click the Glasspad icon in the notification area and choose Pair Your Phone. Scan the code with Glasspad, allow the camera and Nearby devices if Android asks, then click Allow on the PC.

    The icon may be behind the arrow at the end of the taskbar.

What you get: every mode Windows can do; the phone hides the rest, such as Macros. No Mac needed.

Windows PC and iPhone

  1. Install on your PC

    Download for WindowsVersion 0.5.0, for Intel and AMD PCs

    Windows on Arm, such as a Snapdragon PC? Get the Arm64 installer.

    Open the installer. It is not code signed yet, so Windows may say it protected your PC: click More info, check the name is Glasspad, then Run anyway. It installs for your user, with no administrator prompt.

    More info › Run anyway

    The first time Glasspad starts, Windows asks whether it may use your network. Allow Private networks, so your phone can reach the PC.

  2. Install on your iPhone

    The iPhone app is not on the App Store. Without a Mac, AltStore or SideStore installs it with your free Apple ID.

    1. Set up AltStore with AltServer on your PC, or SideStore, which needs the computer only once. Follow their guide.
    2. On the iPhone, download the app file.
    3. Open it in AltStore or SideStore (My Apps › +) and sign in with your Apple ID. Turn on Developer Mode if the iPhone asks.
    Download for iPhoneVersion 0.5.0, .ipa, iOS 18 or later

    Free Apple ID installs stop opening after 7 days. AltStore renews Glasspad while the iPhone and the PC running AltServer share a Wi-Fi; SideStore renews it on the phone. We build this file with every release but have not tried AltStore or SideStore ourselves. Have a Mac? It can install and renew the iPhone app for you.

  3. Pair

    Click the Glasspad icon in the notification area and choose Pair Your Phone. Scan the code with the iPhone Camera or Glasspad and allow Local Network, then click Allow on the PC.

    The icon may be behind the arrow at the end of the taskbar.

What you get: every mode Windows can do; the phone hides the rest, such as Mac shortcuts.

Requirements, help and uninstall

Mac

What you need
  • macOS 14 or later
  • With an iPhone: Xcode 26 or later, free from the Mac App Store and a large download; a free Apple ID (Apple now calls it an Apple Account); a USB cable for the first install
  • With an Android phone: a Mac with Apple silicon, or Xcode to build it on an Intel Mac
  • One Wi-Fi for the Mac and the phone
Troubleshooting
The pointer does not move
Switch Glasspad off and on again in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility. Reinstalls and updates can reset it.
macOS says Glasspad cannot be opened
That happens with the zip from a browser. Click Open Anyway next to Glasspad in System Settings › Privacy & Security, then Open.
The phone cannot find the Mac
Put both on the same Wi-Fi. On an iPhone, allow Local Network in Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network › Glasspad.
Something else
Songs missing in Media, and other fixes once Glasspad is running, are in the guide's Help section.
Uninstall
  1. Drag Glasspad from Applications to the Trash.
  2. If the Mac installed your iPhone app, turn off its automatic renewal:
~/Projects/glasspad/scripts/setup-autorefresh.sh --remove
Install a fixed release

To build one release, such as v0.5.0, instead of the newest code. Later runs stay on it until you choose another.

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Soham109/glasspad/main/install.sh | GLASSPAD_REF=v0.5.0 bash
Only the Mac app, built with Xcode

For an Intel Mac with an Android phone. It builds the Mac app and skips the iPhone steps; you need Xcode and your Apple ID.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Soham109/glasspad/main/install.sh | GLASSPAD_SKIP_PHONE=1 bash

Windows PC

What you need
  • Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) or Windows 11, on an Intel, AMD or Arm PC
  • No administrator rights: Glasspad installs for your user only
  • One Wi-Fi for the PC and the phone
Troubleshooting
Windows says it protected your PC
That is SmartScreen, for an installer that is not code signed. Click More info, then Run anyway.
There is no Run anyway button
Smart App Control on Windows 11 blocks apps that are not code signed, with no way around it. Glasspad cannot run while it is on. You can turn it off in Windows Security › App & browser control › Smart App Control; do that only if you understand the trade-off.
The phone cannot find the PC
Put both on the same Wi-Fi. Make the Wi-Fi a private network in Settings › Network & internet › Wi-Fi › your network, and allow Glasspad in Windows Security › Firewall & network protection › Allow an app through firewall.
Some windows ignore the pointer
Windows does not let an app control windows that run as administrator, such as Task Manager, unless that app runs as administrator too.
Glasspad is not running after a restart
Turn on Open at Login in Glasspad's Settings. It is on unless you turned it off.
Something else
Fixes once Glasspad is running are in the guide's Help section.
Uninstall
  1. Open Settings › Apps › Installed apps.
  2. Find Glasspad, then choose Uninstall.
  3. On your phone, forget the PC in Glasspad's Settings, or delete the app.
Install or update with PowerShell

Picks the x64 or Arm64 installer for your PC, checks it against the release's checksums and installs it. Windows does not show the SmartScreen warning for this copy. Run it again to update.

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Soham109/glasspad/main/install.ps1 | iex

iPhone

What you need
  • iOS 18 or later
  • A free Apple ID (Apple now calls it an Apple Account)
  • To install: a Mac with Xcode 26 or later and a USB cable, or AltStore or SideStore
  • Developer Mode on, in Settings › Privacy & Security › Developer Mode
Troubleshooting
The iPhone cannot find the computer
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
It was not renewed in time. From a Mac, run the install command again. With AltStore or SideStore, refresh it there.
Developer Mode is missing
Plug the iPhone into the Mac and run the command once, or install the app with AltStore or SideStore. The setting appears after that.
Limits of a free Apple ID
7 days per install, at most 3 apps from free accounts on one iPhone, and at most 10 app IDs a week.
Uninstall
  1. Delete the app on your iPhone.
  2. If a Mac installed it, turn off the renewal on the Mac:
~/Projects/glasspad/scripts/setup-autorefresh.sh --remove

Android

What you need
  • Android 10 or later
  • A camera to scan the pairing code
  • One Wi-Fi for the phone and the computer
Troubleshooting
Android blocks the install
Allow your browser to install unknown apps in Settings › Apps › Special app access › Install unknown apps, then open the file again. The menu names differ a little between phone makers. If Google Play Protect offers to scan the app, you can let it.
App not installed
An older copy signed another way is in the way. Uninstall it, then install the new one.
The phone cannot find the computer
Put both on the same Wi-Fi, turn off any VPN on the phone, and allow Nearby devices for Glasspad in Settings › Apps › Glasspad › Permissions. On a PC, also check the firewall under Windows PC › Troubleshooting.
Updates
Download the new .apk and install it over the old one; every release is signed with the same key. Obtainium can do this for you.
Uninstall
  1. Touch and hold the Glasspad icon, then tap App info.
  2. Tap Uninstall.

Every file of each release, with its checksums, is on GitHub Releases.

Installed?

Learn how to use every mode in the guide, start with your phone as a trackpad, or see everything Glasspad does.