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Guide

How to mirror and control an Android screen on a Mac

Install Synqed on your Mac and your Android phone and pair them on the same network. Open the Screen section in the Mac app and start a share; the phone asks your permission each time, and then its screen appears in a window on the Mac. To control it with your mouse and keyboard, also turn on "Control from your Mac and AI apps" in the Android app, which uses Android's Accessibility access.

Before you start

  • A Mac running macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon and Intel.
  • An Android phone running Android 13 or later.
  • Both on the same local network: the same Wi-Fi, or the Mac joined to the phone's hotspot. Synqed has no relay server, so it does not work across the internet.

Steps

  1. Pair the phone and the Mac. Open Synqed on both devices, compare the numeric code on the two screens and confirm.
  2. Start a share from the Mac. Open the Screen section of the Mac app and start sharing. The phone shows Android's screen-sharing prompt. Approve it to begin.
  3. Turn on control, if you want it. In the Android app's Settings, turn on "Control from your Mac and AI apps", then switch on Synqed in Android's Accessibility settings. Without these the share is view-only.
  4. Use the phone from the Mac. Click to tap, drag to swipe, and type into the focused field from the Mac's keyboard. You can pop the screen out into its own window.
  5. Take screenshots or record. Screenshots are saved on the Mac, not in the phone's gallery. Recordings are saved as MP4 files on the Mac's Desktop.
  6. Stop sharing. Stop from the Mac, or from the Stop button in the notification Android shows while sharing is on.

First time? Install the Mac app and the Android app, open both, and confirm that the numeric code matches on the two screens. That pairs them, and they reconnect on their own after that. If they can't find each other, see support.

What it does not do

  • The phone asks for approval every time a share starts. That is Android's rule for screen capture and cannot be skipped.
  • It shows the phone's own screen. It does not install or run Android apps on the Mac, so the phone has to stay on and connected.
  • Same network only. The screen is sent as encrypted video over your local network, with no relay.

Questions

Can an AI assistant use the mirrored screen?

Yes, if you turn on AI assistants in the Mac app. MCP apps such as Claude Code can read the screen and tap, swipe and type while a share you approved is running. Shares an assistant starts end when it is finished.

Cost

The Mac app is free. The Android app has a 7-day free trial, then Synqed Pro is $20 once, plus tax. No account. Details on Synqed Pro.

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