How to control Ubuntu remotely from an Android phone?

In order to carry out this task of being able to control our computer from our Android phone, KDE Connect is easily the best option.

Well thanks KDE Connect we can use our phone as a trackpad and type on the keyboard digital. You can also send links, files, and notifications from it.

KDE Connect even lets you send text messages from your computer. In addition to all that, it has incorporated multimedia controls.

KDE Connect has become relatively popular over time, and you can find an updated version directly in the main Ubuntu repositories and install it easily.

Install KDE Connect on Ubuntu

KDE Connect also works with any desktop environment, so you're not stuck running KDE if you don't want to.

To install this tool we must type the following command: 

sudo apt install kdeconnect

After installing the KDE Connect package on our system, now it's time to do the same within our Android phone.

For this case, KDE Connect You can find it in the Google Play Store so you just have to go to it, find it and install it on your computer.

Once this has been done by both sides, you must open your KDE Connect application on Android. The application will open to a screen showing the available devices. You probably won't see any yet.

Now in Ubuntu in the applications menu we will look for "KDE Connect" and we will open it.

The settings will open to a window with a list of available devices on the left side. While the right side of that window will be filled with the available settings when they connect to your phone.

Back in the Android app, swipe down on the "KDE Connection Devices" screen. That will refresh the list. They should be able to see your computer and username. They should touch the name and request the pairing.

This will launch a notification on your desktop for the pairing request, accept it.

Once this is done, you may notice that the list in your configuration window changes.

The indicator next to the name of your Android device will turn green to show that it is paired.

Once done, click on that list to open the settings on the right side of the window. Those settings allow you to set which features each device has access to on the other.

How do you control your desktop?

Now in the Android application you should be able to see a list of the available actions that you can do on your desktop.

For remote controls, select "Remote input". Your phone screen will change and a large blank space will take up most of the screen area.

That space is now a trackpad that you can use as a mouse for your computer. Try moving your finger around the phone screen.

You will see the cursor move around your screen.

Last but not least is the keyboard. Tap on the keyboard icon in the upper right corner of the application screen. That will open the virtual keyboard of your phone

KDE Connect Multimedia Controls

As well you may be able to select media controls. The app detects your media player and displays the album art of your current song towards the top of the screen.

Below that are the pause / play controls, buttons for skipping or skipping back, and a volume slider.

Honestly the application is quite universal, and it is much easier to control your multimedia that way than with the general controls.

With KDE Connect, you have complete control of your desktop from your Android phone. It's a simple way to use your phone in the most intuitive way possible as a remote control for your Linux PC.

The combination of trackpad functionality, virtual keyboard, and multimedia controls allow you to take full advantage of your phone's capabilities, and that says nothing about all the great sharing capabilities that KDE Connect offers.