GUIDES
How to control your Windows PC from your Android phone
With Avyn you can use your Android phone as a remote control for your Windows PC, without leaving the couch and without relying on the Internet. This guide covers what you need, how the two devices pair, and what you can do from the phone.
Updated
What you need
- A 64-bit Windows PC with Avyn Agent installed.
- An Android phone with the Avyn Remote app.
- Both devices on the same local network, over Wi-Fi or cable.
You do not need an account or a cloud service: the phone and the PC talk directly inside your network.
Avyn Agent and Avyn Remote are being published on Microsoft Store and Google Play. In the meantime the Android app is in closed beta: to join as a tester, email us at avyn.remote@gmail.com.
Step by step: pair the phone with the PC
- Install Avyn Agent on the PC. It stays in the system tray and starts with Windows.
- Open the Avyn app on the phone, with both devices on the same network. The app finds the PC on your local network.
- Choose the PC and request pairing. A request appears on the PC screen for you to approve or reject, with a verification code you can compare with the one on the phone.
- Approve the request on the PC. From then on the phone reconnects by itself, and you can revoke it at any time from the Devices section of Avyn Agent.
What you can do from the phone
- Mouse and keyboard: move the pointer, click, scroll, type text and use keys and shortcuts such as Enter, Esc, the arrows or Ctrl.
- Media and volume: pause, skip, seek to a position, and raise, lower or mute the system volume.
- Windows: see open windows, bring one to the front, minimize it, maximize it, close it or move it to another display.
- Programs: open the programs in the Start menu with one tap.
- Files: browse the folders you shared, search for files, open them on the PC, and send or download files between the phone and the PC.
- Power and routines: lock the session, sleep, restart or shut down the PC, and run saved multi-step routines.
In the app these features are organized in tabs: Control, Windows, Files and Actions.
Turning on and unlocking the PC
If your PC supports it, the phone can turn it on with Wake-on-LAN. Whether it works depends on the computer and its network setup.
Unlocking from the phone is optional and off by default. If you turn it on from Settings in Avyn Agent, Windows asks for administrator permission to install a small separate service. Your Windows PIN or password is never stored on the PC.
What travels over your network, and how to check
Communication between the phone and the PC is encrypted. The PC only accepts phones you approved on its screen, and each one can be revoked at any time. Avyn uses no accounts and no server of its own, and includes no analytics or advertising.
You do not have to take our word for it: the Verify Avyn page explains how to inspect the Agent's network connections with Windows tools.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need Internet to use Avyn?
- Not for everyday use: the phone and the PC talk inside your local network. The direct download of the Agent checks GitHub for updates; the Microsoft Store version does not connect to the Internet by itself.
- Does it work away from home?
- Avyn is designed for the local network: the phone and the PC need to be on the same network.
- Can I control more than one PC?
- Yes. The phone can store several paired PCs and you choose which one to connect to.
- Can I pair more than one phone with the same PC?
- Yes. Each phone is approved separately on the PC and revoked independently.