Introduction: Control Android From Raspberry Pi

By pjmor.com
About: If it ain't broken, take it apart and fix it.

Have you ever wanted to control your android smartphone or tablet directly from your Raspberry Pi? No? Me neither. I just thought it would be interesting to see if you actually could. You could use this feature to display your android screen during a presentation with a projector, all while keeping your phone in your pocket.

Requirements:

  • Raspberry Pi that can connect to the internet
  • 4GB (or more) MicroSD card (or SD depending on your model)
  • A keyboard that you can use with the Raspberry Pi
  • A mouse that you can use with the Raspberry Pi
  • A USB charger
  • A rooted Android phone that can connect to the internet
  • A monitor that is compatible with the Raspberry Pi
  • Internet

Step 1: Install Raspbian

First off, you will need to install an operating system on that SD card of yours. To do so, head over to the official Raspberry Pi downloads page and download Raspbian. Once downloaded, decompress it, and flash it on to your SD card using this handy tool. After flashing Raspbian, plug it in to your Raspberry Pi, boot it up, and configure it.

Step 2: Install VNC Client

Now, you'll want to start up the GUI. Do so by typing startx. Once on the desktop, open up the terminal and type sudo apt-get update. It will take a few minutes to download the required files. After that, type in sudo apt-get install ssvnc. This will also take a few minutes, so just sit back and wait.

Step 3: Prepare Your Android Device

On your android device, go to the Play Store and look for VNC Server, which is developed by onecent. Install it, run it, and tap on the huge switch that's on the screen. You will be asked to grant superuser permissions, so that the client can control your android screen.

Step 4: Access Your Phone

Back to your Raspberry Pi. In the terminal window, type ssvnc. This will open up a little window. In the first text box that you see, type in the IP address and port of the vnc server running on your android phone. The IP and port is shown under the huge switch on your android phone in the VNC server app. Under the text boxes, you will see 4 options: Use SSL, Use SSH, SSH+SSL, and None. By default, the Use SSL option is selected. You do not want that option. Select the None option, and then click the connect button. Your Android screen will appear in a new window.