# How to use Claude Code from your phone > Claude Code does not run directly on iOS or Android. Every mobile setup uses your phone as a remote screen for a session running on your laptop, an Anthropic cloud VM, or a Linux server. Source: https://alwaysagent.app/claude-code-phone Updated: 2026-11-05 ## The short answer You can use Claude Code from your phone in four ways: Anthropic's official Remote Control, Anthropic's official cloud sessions, your own machine or VPS over SSH and `tmux`, or a managed server with a browser workspace. As Anthropic's documentation notes, "The Claude app for iOS and Android is a client for Claude Code sessions rather than a place where code runs." Pick your setup by answering four questions about how you work: - **Can your laptop stay on and awake?** If yes, use **Remote Control** to steer your local terminal session from the Claude mobile app. - **Do you have a paid Claude subscription and keep code on GitHub?** If your laptop will be closed, use **Cloud sessions** in the Claude app or at `claude.ai/code`. - **Do you use an API key, OpenRouter, or a third-party model gateway?** Official mobile features require a `claude.ai` subscription login. You will need a **self-hosted SSH server** or a **managed server**. - **Do you need unattended, long-running tasks?** Cloud sessions stop after a period of inactivity, and laptops sleep. For jobs that run for hours or need background databases and Docker, run Claude Code on an **always-on Linux server**. For a deep architecture comparison between Anthropic's two official modes and a dedicated server, see [Claude Code Remote Control vs cloud sessions vs your own server](/claude-code-cloud-vs-alwaysagent). This guide focuses on setting up and using each option on a phone. ## Remote Control (best if your laptop stays on) Remote Control links the Claude mobile app or mobile web browser to a Claude Code process running on your own computer. ### How it works According to Anthropic's docs, "When you start a Remote Control session on your machine, Claude keeps running locally the entire time, so your code execution and filesystem access stay on your machine." Your phone acts as a synchronized window into that terminal session. 1. **Install the Claude mobile app** — Download the Claude app for iOS or Android. Inside an active terminal session, you can run `/mobile` (or `/ios` or `/android`) to print a QR code that opens the app store for your phone. 1. **Start Remote Control on your computer** — Open a terminal in your project folder and run server mode to wait for remote connections, or turn on Remote Control inside an existing session:# Start server mode (press spacebar to toggle the QR code) claude remote-control # Or start an interactive session with Remote Control enabled claude --remote-control # Or enable it inside an already open session /remote-control - ### Connect from your phone Scan the QR code shown in your terminal, or open the Claude app, tap the **Code** tab, and select your session. Online Remote Control sessions display a computer icon with a green status dot. ### What you need You need a Pro, Max, Ultra, Team, or Enterprise plan signed in with a `claude.ai` account, plus your computer running the `claude` CLI over outbound HTTPS. Per Anthropic's documentation, API keys, Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex, and custom `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` gateways are not supported. ### Limits "The web and mobile interfaces are a window into that local session, so your computer has to stay on and the claude process has to keep running." - If your computer loses network access for roughly ten minutes in server mode, the process times out and exits. - Terminal-only slash commands such as `/plugin` and `/resume` cannot be triggered from the mobile app, and you cannot switch to Bypass permissions from the phone. ### Phone experience Because you use the native Claude iOS or Android app, typing prompts, reading diffs, and answering permission requests works smoothly on a touchscreen. Typing `@` autocompletes file paths from your local project. You can also attach photos from your phone camera roll directly into the chat. ## Cloud sessions on the web and app (best for GitHub tasks with laptop closed) Cloud sessions run Claude Code on Anthropic-managed virtual machines instead of your computer, allowing you to start or monitor work from your phone with no home machine left on. ### How it works When you submit a task from the **Code** tab in the Claude mobile app or at [claude.ai/code](https://claude.ai/code), Anthropic clones your GitHub repository into an isolated VM, runs your setup script if configured, edits files, runs tests, and pushes a branch for review. You can also start a task from your laptop terminal with `claude --cloud "your task"` and check on it later from your phone, or pull a cloud session back to your terminal using `claude --teleport`. ### What you need You need a Pro, Max, Ultra, or Team plan, or an Enterprise seat with Claude Code access, signed in to `claude.ai`, plus a connected GitHub account. As Anthropic states, "Cloud sessions and Remote Control require a claude.ai account, so they aren't reachable with an Anthropic Console API key or from a third-party provider such as Amazon Bedrock." There is no separate fee for the cloud VM; usage counts against your plan's standard limits. ### Limits - GitHub is required for direct cloud cloning and pull request creation. Non-GitHub repositories can only be uploaded from a local machine as a bundle and cannot push back to the remote. - Outbound network access from the VM is restricted to a default allowlist unless you configure custom domains. - Cloud sessions stop after a period of inactivity and the VM is reclaimed. Reopening an expired session provisions a fresh VM and restores the chat history, but any background shell commands or subagents that were running are lost. ### Phone experience Like Remote Control, cloud sessions live inside the **Code** tab of the Claude app and the mobile web interface at `claude.ai/code`. Because the session keeps running after you put your phone away, it is practical to hand off a self-contained GitHub issue and check back on it later from your phone. ## Self-hosted PC or VPS + SSH + tmux (best for full DIY control) Before official mobile clients existed, running Claude Code inside a persistent terminal multiplexer over SSH was the standard way to code from a phone. It remains a common choice if you want full operating system control or use API credentials that Anthropic's mobile app does not accept. ### How it works You install Claude Code on a home desktop or a rented Linux VPS (see [running Claude Code on a VPS](/claude-code-vps)). To reach a home machine without opening router ports, many developers install a mesh VPN such as Tailscale on both the computer and the phone. Before launching `claude`, you start a `tmux` or `screen` session so the process stays alive when your phone locks or switches networks: # On your server or desktop over SSH tmux new -s work claude # Later, after reconnecting from your phone's SSH app tmux attach -t work ### What you need You need a Linux or macOS host that stays powered on, an SSH server, `tmux`, an iOS or Android SSH client (or Mosh for roaming connections), and any credentials Claude Code supports—including a `claude.ai` subscription, an Anthropic Console API key, or a custom gateway via `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL`. ### Limits - **Touchscreen keyboard friction:** Standard terminal shortcuts like `Escape`, `Ctrl+C`, `Ctrl+B` (for `tmux`), and arrow keys require extra virtual keyboard bars on a phone. - **Background disconnects:** Mobile operating systems aggressively suspend background sockets. Every time you switch to a browser or lock your phone for a few minutes, the SSH connection drops and you have to reconnect. - **No native file or preview UI:** Scrolling back through long diffs inside `tmux` on a 6-inch screen is cramped, and viewing a running web server requires manual port forwarding or VPN configuration. - **Sysadmin overhead:** You are responsible for OS updates, SSH keys, firewall rules, and disk space. ### Phone experience A raw SSH client works in an emergency—such as approving a blocked prompt or running `git status`—but reading multi-file diffs or pasting screenshots into a terminal from a phone is slow. Some open-source community projects, such as Happy (`slopus/happy`) and CC Pocket (`K9i-0/ccpocket`), wrap local Claude Code and Codex CLI processes on your machine so you can interact with them through a dedicated mobile chat UI instead of raw SSH. ## Managed server: AlwaysAgent (best for 24/7 runs and any API key without SSH) If you want an always-on Linux server and support for API keys or third-party models, but do not want to manage a VPS or fight an SSH terminal on a touchscreen, AlwaysAgent packages the server and a browser workspace together. ### How it works AlwaysAgent ([alwaysagent.app](https://alwaysagent.app)) provisions a dedicated cloud Linux server with a standalone public IP for each user, with both Claude Code and OpenAI Codex preinstalled. Instead of connecting via an SSH app, you open the workspace in your phone or desktop browser. The workspace includes AI chat, a file manager, a terminal, remote browser preview, and version history. Because the server runs 24/7 in the cloud, tasks continue running after you close your laptop or mobile browser. ### What you need You only need a web browser on your phone or computer and your own model credentials. In the workspace settings, you can configure a Base URL and API Key—supporting official Anthropic or OpenAI keys, Chinese domestic model APIs, relay services, or OpenRouter. Keys are stored only on your dedicated server; AlwaysAgent does not proxy AI calls, add markup, or resell model quota. ### Limits - Because you are renting a dedicated virtual machine, the server costs money separately from your AI usage. Hourly trials start with a $10 minimum top-up at roughly $0.05/hour (stopped servers still accrue charges until deleted; unused balance is refundable within 14 days minus payment processing fees). Monthly plans with unlimited bandwidth and daily auto-snapshots range from Starter at $9.9/mo (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB disk) and Developer at $17.9/mo (4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 75 GB disk) to Pro at $24.9/mo and Power at $44.9/mo. - It is a browser-based web workspace rather than a native App Store application, so there is no app to install on your phone. ### Phone experience You open the workspace URL in Safari or Chrome on your phone with no app or VPN to install. You can read replies in the chat view, inspect files, preview a running web app through the remote browser preview, and drop into the web terminal only when you need to run a shell command. ## Comparing the 4 mobile setups | Dimension | Remote Control | Cloud sessions | Self-hosted + SSH | AlwaysAgent | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Runs where | Your computer | Anthropic-managed VM | Your PC or VPS | Dedicated cloud Linux server | | Laptop must stay on | Yes | No | Only if hosted on laptop (No on VPS) | No | | Needs Claude subscription | Yes (claude.ai) | Yes (claude.ai) | Optional | Optional | | API key / other models | No | No | Yes | Yes (Base URL + API Key) | | Unattended long runs | While machine stays awake | Stops after inactivity; VM can expire | Yes (inside tmux) | Yes (24/7 server) | | Setup effort | Run 1 CLI command + app | Connect GitHub in app/web | Install OS, SSH, tmux, VPN | None (preinstalled) | | Phone UX | Native Claude app / web | Native Claude app / web | Mobile SSH terminal | Mobile browser workspace | ## Making Claude Code usable on a phone A phone screen is great for reviewing plans, answering questions, and kicking off well-scoped tasks, but miserable for micromanaging syntax. A few habits make mobile sessions much smoother: - **Put rules and test commands in `CLAUDE.md` at your desk.** Before you leave your laptop, make sure your repository's `CLAUDE.md` documents how to run tests, lint, and build. That way, you do not have to type shell commands or path names on a phone keyboard. - **Ask for a plan before code edits.** When starting a task from your phone, tell Claude to inspect the relevant files and propose a short implementation plan first. Reading and approving a 5-bullet plan on a phone is much easier than untangling a wrong 400-line diff. - **Write self-contained prompts that include verification.** Instead of back-and-forth steering, give a single clear goal and tell Claude how to verify its own work—for example: "Fix the null check in the checkout handler, add a unit test, and run the test suite until it passes." - **Tell Claude to work on a separate branch and commit checkpoints.** Especially during long or unattended runs, instruct Claude to create a feature branch and commit after each passing step so you can inspect clean diffs or roll back easily. - **Use voice dictation for natural-language prompts.** Built-in iOS and Android voice dictation is much faster than thumb-typing when explaining bug symptoms or architectural constraints, since you are writing English instructions rather than raw code. - **Send screenshots instead of describing UI bugs.** In Remote Control, cloud sessions, and browser workspaces, attaching a phone screenshot of a visual bug or error log is faster and more accurate than retyping the error message. ## FAQ ### Does Claude Code have a dedicated iPhone or Android app? No. As Anthropic's documentation explains, Claude Code does not have a separate mobile app. Both cloud sessions and Remote Control live inside the Code tab of the standard Claude app for iOS and Android, or at claude.ai/code in a mobile browser. ### How do I keep Claude Code running when I close my laptop? You have to run the session somewhere other than your laptop. You can use Anthropic's cloud sessions (which run on Anthropic-managed VMs for GitHub repositories), rent your own Linux VPS and run Claude Code inside tmux, or use a 24/7 managed server such as AlwaysAgent. ### Why does Remote Control disconnect when I step away with my phone? Remote Control only provides a window into the claude process on your computer. If your laptop goes to sleep, closes its lid, loses Wi-Fi for an extended period, or has its terminal window closed, the session goes offline until the computer wakes up or you restart the command. ### Can I use Claude Code on my phone with an Anthropic API key or OpenRouter? Not through the official Claude mobile app. Both Remote Control and official cloud sessions require a claude.ai subscription login and are not available with Anthropic Console API keys or third-party providers such as Amazon Bedrock. Remote Control is also unavailable when ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL points at a gateway or proxy. To use an API key or OpenRouter from your phone, run Claude Code on your own server over SSH or in a browser workspace like AlwaysAgent. ### What is the easiest way to get the Claude app link from my terminal? Inside any open Claude Code terminal session, run /mobile (or /ios or /android). The CLI prints a QR code for claude.ai/mobile that opens the matching app store on your phone. ### Can I start a task on my laptop and switch to my phone mid-conversation? Yes. If the session is running locally on your computer and you can leave the computer on, type /remote-control (or /rc) in the conversation and open the session from the Code tab in the Claude mobile app. If you need to close your laptop, push your branch to GitHub and start a cloud session with claude --cloud, or run your workflow on an always-on server.