Remote access to an Android phone

A modern user stores a large number of important files in the memory of his smartphone. These can be photos, videos or simply useful applications. The phone can also be used to pay for purchases in stores or online venues. All these factors in combination force the owner to be more careful with the security of the device. In addition, quite often there is a need for remote access to a smartphone, for example, to view documents. Let's look at how to organize remote access to the Android phone using various programs and services.

Why do I need remote access?

The ability to remotely control a smartphone appeared quite a long time ago. However, even now many people do not understand why such a useful option is needed. First, it helps save important information if the device is accidentally lost or stolen. By going to the page of the selected platform, you can always lock your phone or track its location on the map.

Second, hidden remote access allows you to download files stored on your smartphone to another device. For example, when you are in another city, you urgently need to view a photo in the gallery of your smartphone. You have a computer with you and the ability to connect to the Internet, so by following certain steps you can easily access your phone remotely.

The possibilities of remote control do not end here. Here is just the main part of them:

• Reset the device to factory settings;
• smartphone location;
• deletion of personal data;
• viewing notifications;
• camera control;
• in some cases, wiretapping of telephone conversations;
• Block unwanted sites and programs if your phone is used by a child.

As you can see, having remote access to your phone opens up a lot of possibilities.

Setting up Android Remote Access

You may ask, but how do you set up remote control of your smartphone? In fact, it can be done with the help of special programs that can be installed both on your computer and on another phone. With the main and the highest quality of them we suggest to get acquainted just below.

Connecting to a phone from a phone

If you need to enable remote control of one Android phone from another smartphone or tablet, then we recommend to pay attention to the following selection of applications.

AirMirror (AirDroid)

So, to begin with, let's look at one popular program, AirMirror. The application is completely free to install from Google Playby entering the corresponding query in the search box. We will not describe the installation process in detail, as it is standard in this case. But to help with the initial setup can be a step by step guide:

1. View or skip the brief overview of the app. There is nothing interesting here, because everything will be explained further on.
2. Press the button "Sign up". Fill in information such as email address, password and login. At the end we check the specified data and select "Next". An account confirmation link will be sent to your email address. We recommend that you click it to activate access to the application.
3. You can also sign up quickly by logging into your Google, Facebook, or Twitter account. There's nothing complicated about it, so choose whatever option you want to create your account.

Once the account is created, we can move on to setting up access. Go to the tab "Remote Support". A brief instruction appears on the screen with a description of the actions. In general, you need to install the AirDroid Remote Support application on the smartphone that you want to control. This is still done from the Play Store.

Now run the program you just downloaded. In the first slide select "No, thank you.", and in the second one we press "Continue to". Give the application access to the phone, storage and microphone by clicking on the button "Allow". Immediately an automatic code generation for connection will occur.

It must be entered into the AirMirror utility on the main device. To do this, enter the code and select "Connecting". When finished, the control panel will be displayed on the screen.

You can also go another way by installing the program AirDroid on another phone. After completing the installation we press "Log in"and log in to the same account linked to AirMirror. Next, select "Continue to" and provide the requested authorization.

Now go into AirMirror on the first device and check that the second smartphone appears in the list. Click on its name and choose the appropriate remote control option. We recommend using the option "Mirror screen".

Note that to use the "Control" option, you need root rights or a program on your PC.

And as you can see, we fully control the desktop of another smartphone remotely.

If desired, the image can be unfolded and microphone access can be activated.

RemoDroid

Another program that allows you to remotely control the desktop of another smartphone or tablet. So, we'll do everything step by step, so as not to make any accidental mistakes. First, on the second device we install the RemoDroid application from Play Market.

Press the button "Allow Remote Control" and provide all the permissions. At the end, select "Start" by first ticking the box "Don't show any more".

We take the main phone and also install RemoDroid from Google Play. Open the application, connecting to one Wi-Fi network before doing so. A second device should appear in the list. Click on it and get remote access to the screen.

By the way, for convenience, you can open the browser on your computer and enter the numbers from the program in the address bar. This will allow you to monitor and control your smartphone from a large screen.

In the settings of the utility you can activate the connection password. As a result, it turns out that without entering the secret code, no one will have access to the device. The rest of the settings are less useful, but may be useful to someone. Unfortunately, through RemoDroid you can not remotely manage files or documents, as well as monitor the location of the device.

Connecting to a smartphone from a computer

Now let's look at how to set up remote access to a smartphone from a computer. There are much more programs in this regard, and they are much easier to set up.

Google Android Device Manager

Let's start with the simplest and most convenient option for remote device management. This is the Android Device Manager service from Google. Through the platform you can monitor the location of the smartphone on the map, lock or completely delete the data stored in memory, call the phone to locate it in the house. So, to set up, follow these steps:

1. Switching to official website service. This can be done by typing in a browser search "Find My Device Google" and by clicking on the first link from the output.
2. On the page with the service, authorize in the Google account, which is tied to the phone. Just enter your email address and password in the corresponding field.
3. In the side menu select the appropriate option. "Call"The device can be found in the apartment by an audible signal. "Block"The function that allows you to lock the phone and log out of the Google account (if desired, you can display a message for the person who found the device). "ClearThe "Delete all data from your smartphone, including photos and other files" option.

Please note that to use all of these options, your phone must have Internet and geolocation enabled.

If necessary, the Android Device Manager service can also be opened from your smartphone in the browser. And what's even easier is to install the brand-name app "Find the device".

TeamViewer

TeamViewer is one of the most famous programs for remote PC management. In the past, it was actively used by computer helpdesk technicians. Now this utility can also be used by regular users. Its main features are as follows:

• creating screenshots;
• app updates;
• file access;
• viewing events;
• changing settings.

So, let's move directly to the installation and configuration of the program. First, from the computer open the browser and go to the official website TeamViewer.com. Click on the "Download" button, then - "Download"and download the program to your computer. You can also work with the service through the browser extension, but it is very inconvenient.

Open the downloaded file and start the installation. In the first window, check the boxes in the items: "Install" и "Personal/non-commercial use". Next, select "Accept - complete". After the installation procedure is complete, the program will start automatically.

Go back to your smartphone and follow these steps:

1. Install the TeamViewer QuickSupport application from Google Play.
2. Skip the overview-presentation by clicking "Done".
3. Grant permission to overlay the program on top of other windows. Simply move the slider to the right.
4. The ID should appear on the screen.

Now in the program on the PC in the field "ID partner"Enter the ID that appears on the phone. Select "Remote control" and press "Connect". The device desktop will immediately appear on your computer screen.

For remote control via TeamViewer, your computer and phone must be connected to the Internet.

There are special tabs in the top panel of the program. Through them you can, for example, take a screenshot or change other parameters.

As you can see, making remote access is not as difficult as it seems.

Mobizen Mirroring

Mobizen Mirroring is a convenient and practical application for remote access to your phone. In the free version, the pairing can only be done via local network or USB, which excludes the possibility of remote control. So, the first thing to do is to go from your computer to the official site of the service mobizen.com and download the program. To do this, click on the button "Mirroring PC Version".

Install the utility by following the installer instructions. Everything here is simple.

Now install the Mobizen Mirroring app on your smartphone from Play Market. At the first launch provide the requested permissions. Create an account in the service or do a quick login through your Google account. And now the most important thing - enable debugging by USB. This is done in the settings, namely in the section "For developers". If you will be connecting over the network, you do not need to do this.

Speaking of. enabling USB debugging is described in detail in one of our articles.

Open the program on your computer and log in to your account.

Then we generate a verification code and enter it into the application on your smartphone. That's all! You can easily use the features of the service and remotely control your Android phone.

Vysor

Vysor is a very handy application that allows you to remotely access your own or someone else's Android phone. Let's note right away that it is not a spyware, but just a utility for controlling your smartphone from a short distance. When you first start it, a short overview appears in front of us, which tells us about the main features of Vysor. The app also asks to activate USB debugging and connect your smartphone via a USB cable to your computer. USB debugging is enabled under "For developersThe "Firmware version or build number of the device" can be accessed by tapping the firmware version or build number several times.

Next, go to your computer and download the Vysor program. For convenience, you can select "Send Download Link" and send the download link via messenger vysor.io. On the official page of the service choose the operating system installed on your PC.

Note that the program can be installed as a browser extension, but it is very inconvenient.

Now connect your smartphone to your computer with a USB cable. Go to "For developers"and allow applications to be installed via USB. In the program on the PC, click the button "View" next to the smartphone model and wait for pairing. If the connection is successful, the smartphone screen will appear in a special window.

The first time you use the program, you may need to install ADB drivers.

The smartphone is controlled with the mouse and the keyboard. For example, the left mouse button is used to click, and the Esc key is used to go back.

How to disable or delete access on Android

To completely disable remote access to your smartphone or tablet, you need to perform several actions. First, it is advisable to deactivate the option "Find the device"Google. To do this, open the settings and go to "Google". Here you go to the menu "Security", select "Find the device"and move the slider to the left next to the item with the same name. As a result, the color of the indicator should change.

Disabling this feature will prevent your smartphone from being detected if you lose it, and will also prevent you from deleting the data stored on your smartphone. If you used one of the above programs for remote control, you can simply delete the application from your smartphone to disable access. It is also better to deactivate the USB debugging, if this option is not currently used.

Video tutorial

Answers to popular questions

Q: How do I detect hidden remote access to my phone?
Detecting that your smartphone is being tracked remotely is difficult, but possible. First of all, pay attention to the installed programs. If among all the applications you will find an unknown utility, it is better to uninstall it. It is recommended to go to the power consumption section and check all running processes.

Q: How do I set up remote access to someone else's phone?
Getting remote access to someone else's smartphone is almost impossible. Of course, you can use the service Google Android Device Manager, having previously performed authorization in the account, which is tied to the desired phone. It is not possible to fully control someone else's device through publicly available programs, as many of them require a connection to the same local network.

Question: Can I remotely uninstall apps from my phone?
Yes, this option is available. For example, you can use Google's "Find your device" service to completely reset your smartphone to its factory settings, thereby deleting all data from it.

To summarize, it is possible to access your Android smartphone remotely through these programs. Often the whole setup is simple and does not require any special knowledge.